Greetings from Anne Riggs Designs!
Anne Riggs Designs is a small business based in Portland, Maine. In my home sewing studio, I design and create beautiful reusable products that will help you and your family lead a more sustainable lifestyle. I want to make it easy to replace one-use items, often made from paper or plastic, with ones made out of fabric that can be washed and reused many times. The way I look at it, when you buy a reusable product you benefit in three ways: you save money, you create less trash and you protect the environment.
I make a range of products for your home and your family. These include cloth napkins, bamboo cutlery pouches, clothespin bags, cloth baby wipes, breast pads, drain mats, bowl covers, and even cloth make-up pads that come with their own mesh laundry bag! New products include organic baby blankets and bibs. But my all-time best seller is the reusable “paper” towels. I have sold hundreds of these, getting very positive reviews from my Etsy customers and local buyers. These come as a set of 12 towels that snap together to roll up and sit on your paper towel holder. They are available in many different fabrics, something to suit everyone, from modern to traditional, geometric to floral.
In my work I get to do so many things that bring me joy and satisfaction. I love fabric and delight in all the beautiful colors and designs available. I love coming up with new product ideas, and then work out the design, choose the right fabric, moving from concept to reality. I love the peaceful rhythm of doing something many times, like cutting out a hundred napkins in an afternoon. And I love knowing that my products are making a difference in the world, helping people stay on a path that leads to more sustainable living.
SouleMama: Welcome to sponsorship on SouleMama! Please tell us about the beginnings of your business, and how you've come to be where you are now?
Anne: Here’s my story: three years ago, I had the chance to reinvent myself. After a teaching career that included working at an international school in the Netherlands for 21 years, I was retiring. I still needed to earn money, and honesty, I didn’t want a show-up job. I started making clothespin bags and opened an Etsy shop. No one was more surprised than me when I made that first sale! Over time I added more items, developing a line of reusable products of which I am very proud.
That I should start a small business that involves being a “maker” is not surprising. I grew up in a family that always believed that handmade was better that store-bought. Even today, my parents, both in their 90s are still busy with their hands, my mother knitting and my father making grow nets. They are an inspiration to me.
$50 gift certificate
In addition, Anne Riggs Designs is pleased to offer all SouleMama readers free shipping on Etsy until the end of October with the coupon code: Soulemama.
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what an inspiring story! i hope my hands keep making things for years to come.
Posted by: monica
I love, love, love the bowl covers!
Posted by: Jennifer
