Grace Management Group Acquires She’s Crafty Designs
Spartanburg, SC – Grace Management Group diversifies its brand portfolio with the acquisition of She’s Crafty Designs, a jewelry and accessories manufacturer. Grace Management Group will re-launch She’s Crafty Designs as 8 Petals in January 2011.
Toni Chirico, a passionate self-taught artist, founded She’s Crafty Designs in 2003 crafting window art out of glass. Chirico made everything out of her studio in Hilton Head, SC. After purchasing a kiln in 2005, Chirico channeled her creative processes into creating hand-crafted pendants, belt buckles and rings out of fused glass. Chirico took her designs to AmericasMart Atlanta in 2007, where her designs eventually caught the eye of Bob Caldwell, Grace Management Group’s President.
Heidi Ruehl, Grace Management Group’s creative designer, came to me after purchasing one of Chirico’s belt buckles at a retailer in Hilton Head extremely excited about the uniqueness of the design, said Bob Caldwell. Ruehl insisted that Caldwell and Chirico meet.
After meeting Chirico, Caldwell felt an instant connection to Chirico’s artistic abilities and passion for her craft. “I felt Chirico could bring great attributes to the company as a true artisan,” said Caldwell. A year later Caldwell presented Chirico with an acquisition proposal, offering Chirico to stay on as the product designer.
“I was not looking for a new job, and I was not looking to sell the company,” Chirico said. “When I was presented with the proposal, I could not turn it down because I knew it would allow me to take my business where I had always dreamed it could be… where I could not have taken it myself.”
“Grace Management Group likes consumable products,” said Caldwell. “That’s one reason we have stayed in home fragrance, but I believe jewelry has a consumable element. Regardless of the economy, women are going to update their wardrobe season after season. As jewelry continues to be a growing category within the gift industry, we thought the timing of the acquisition was optimal.”
The acquisition diversifies our brand portfolio, and moves the company into a new realm of artistry, said Caldwell. We feel we are giving life to a dying arts culture by finding an artist with a unique product and giving her the means to manufacture on a large scale while allowing her to still be the creative hand behind the designs, said Caldwell.
She’s Crafty Designs will re-launch as 8 Petals under the Grace umbrella of brands in January 2011. “We selected the name 8 Petals because Chirico’s original design that launched her company was a flower that always had eight petals,” said Caldwell.
“We are excited to announce the newest addition to Grace Management Group’s team of brands,” said Caldwell. “We look forward to introducing Chirico and 8 Petals to our customers and industry friends at the winter show circuit.”
