Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Spence-Vanderford.
Hi Robin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Spring of 2011, I unexpectedly lost my wonderful husband Dwayne. God blessed us to share 10.5 beautiful years of marriage with two daughters, a son, and an Angel baby. I suddenly found myself as a widow with two of our three young children at home. As I started to navigate the role of a single parent, my kids asked that I promise to drop them off and pick them up from school daily. It was challenging to secure employment with flexible hours to keep my promise to my kids. To keep my promise to them, and to keep my mind occupied as well as pass the time while they were in school, I started to design stationery for personal use. Some friends saw my designs and started asking to place orders for stationery products and decor. I decided to start a business creating custom and semi-custom stationery (and more) under the name V Designs.
Here I am 13 years later and V Designs is now RSVdesigns and I have expanded my stationery offerings and beyond! In addition to stationery, I offer marketing solutions, advertising solutions, custom t-shirts, business solutions, decor/invitations for any occasion, wedding suites, signs, banners, Christian gifts, and so much more!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As a business owner who offers tangible products in a digital age, it is sometimes a little challenging. With that said, there are still consumers who realize the value in fine stationery. My custom and semi-custom products tell a story and will one day be considered heirlooms to our loved ones.
In this digital age, the number of inquiries that I receive from young adults regarding postage stamp placement and wedding stationery etiquette is growing. I actually welcome these inquiries and am honored to guide them through these unknowns and more.
Many times at delivery of their order, they express how much it means to have a tangible representation of the life events they are each experiencing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a graphic designer who operates a full-service stationery, signs, gifts and more business! RSVdesigns is an award-winning stationery company offering custom and semi-custom designs for thousands of projects.
It is always my goal to provide fine stationery and high-quality products at an affordable price. I do not have “a” niche, which allows me a vast array of creative freedom. It is my pleasure to offer asset tags for Mr. Tuck’s farm tools to the most elegant wedding suite and reception signage for The Covingtons, and everything in between.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Because of my life experiences and my relationship with the Lord, my most noteworthy quality is being personable and empathetic. I have personally been on the mountaintop and in the valley – I have praised the Lord in both. I know that we don’t always have a sayso in our circumstances. Hard things happen to us all.
I am extremely attentive to my clients. As the sole owner of RSVdesigns, I have a great bit of flexibility when my clients have challenges. To hear the sigh of relief in a single mother’s voice when I work with her on affording graduation invitations for her children, or the sincere gratefulness of a couple when I offer affordable options for their luxe wedding suite, or the tears of joy shed when a family looks at the memorial program for their loved one.
There were moments in my life when I wanted to give my children the best, but I could not comfortably afford it. There were moments when I had a concept in mind that was outside the scope of template cookie-cutter designs.
Again, because of my life experiences, I offer high-quality, affordable, custom, and semi-custom products with a personal touch.
Aside from my greatest quality mentioned above, I am attentive to detail, creative, and I am not limited by having one single niche.
Contact Info:
- Website: rsvdesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rsvdesigns/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RSVdesigns1/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rsvdesigns-tuscaloosa
Image Credits
TGPhotography, RockSandretto2, MaryPughPhotography
