Meet Laura Baker | Business Owner & Pet Portrait Painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Baker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, what makes you happy? Why?
I find happiness in loving Jesus and growing in grace and knowledge of Him, knowing what He’s done for me. I also find happiness in loving and serving my husband and family, enjoying the beauty of the Fall, painting, photography, and of course playing with my adorable red Goldendoodle. I started this business simply with a desire to own a business, but I had no real plan for moving forward. I knew I wanted to serve others, but I didn’t know how or what I was going to do. Prayerfully taking steps forward into creating an earring business, God led me to creating very specific types of accessories that would be meaningful to others. He took me to a territory I was unfamiliar with and very hesitant to move forward with but with some faith, I gained the skills to paint pet portraits and now they’re making pet lovers around the globe excited to show off their custom pet portraits, often times on the most important day of their lives.
It makes me happy when my customers are happy with the love that I put into the details of their pet portraits; knowing that the small efforts in my paint details will bring someone to tears of joy because they can see their beloved pet that passed away and couldn’t attend their special occasion. My products serve as a small memento of joy and love of my customers’ fur family. I have found happiness in this kind of meaningful work of serving others with a skill I was gifted with and am excited to continue growing in.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is unique, quirky and creative in design. It draws out emotion, leaving people with full hearts, tears of joy and excitement about being able to wear it and show it off. I love that about my products. I draw, laser cut and hand-paint pet portraits on wood that eventually will become my customers favorite fully customized accessory. Whether it’s for work, everyday wear, or something for the biggest day of your life, my art has become a versatile, go-to piece for pet lovers who’ve got the urge to show off their sweet fur babies to the world.

Every business has some rollercoaster moments, from embarrassing products from the earliest stages of development to business moves that didn’t turn out so well. My pet portraits began with a customer request and my eagerness to say yes to a challenge I had no business accepting with a lack of skills in that area. I look back and feel a little embarrassed by many of my creative decisions but I’m glad I took the leap of faith because I wouldn’t be at this point in my business without taking risks and challenging requests or making some mistakes in design. I’ve had my share of disheartening reviews because of some flaws in design but I used those criticisms to make my products better than than they were when I began. The bad reviews will come because we can’t please everyone, but the good reviews certainly have outweighed the bad ones and I’m so grateful for that. All I can continue to do is take advantage of the criticism so that I can continue to grow until my products are completely flawless, even after years of use.

After working through the discouraging moments of this business and navigating the most overwhelming and exciting moments, I’ve learned to choose joy in every circumstance. I’ve learned about myself, how resilient, tenacious and persistent I’ve become over the years. I’ve also learned that kindness and compassion for everyone has the power to defuse negative situations or create memorable moments that have often led to a future full of supportive, repeat customers. I want my customers to remember the emotional aspect of my business most of all; the art that brought them joy and the creator behind it that was filled with kindness, making them feel special.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d start the days out with Novas Coffee Co. for breakfast, in-house mini donuts and coffee, The Howland Bean for their unique coffee flights. The Eastwood Complex for lots of shopping. We’re Homegoods kind of gals, so that would likely be our first choice for big box store shopping. McKinley library is a beautiful place to visit. Millcreek Park in Youngstown would be a great place for hiking and other site seeing for checking out gardens and getting some lunch. Heading out of the Trumbull County area there’s Amish country, Mcdivits with Amish made baked goods, brunch and lunch items. Swine Creek and lots of other parks around Middlefield, such as The Pretzel Bar, Amish shops, cheese tours and salvage. Mary Yoder’s is a great place for dinner. There’s Whitehouse fruit farms that everyone loves if we go South. Then there are lots of places towards Cleveland and Akron that would make for fun visits, such as: Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens and Cascade Valley Metro Park for Hiking in the Fall, Daisy Pops for delightfully decorated and yummy cake pops in Kent, Hilarities 4th St. Theatre for comedy shows in Cleveland, The Playhouse Square for Broadway musicals, and The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are all great places I’d take my best friend for a week-long visit in Northeast, Ohio. Of course, there are so many more places to see and hangout at but that’s what the next visit is for.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
In the same way that it takes a village to raise a child, I can say with a grateful heart that my journey through starting this business was in many ways supported by a community of people surrounding me, cheering me on. My help in starting and managing the business began with the ongoing support of my husband, Steffon. I’m also thankful for my friend, Kim who has also supported me in more ways than one and for introducing me to a community of small businesses that are big on supporting the success of others. Outside of family and friends, from a business-to-business perspective, my first and biggest help came from a lovely coffee shop in Mantua, OH known as Restoration 44 Coffee Co. where restoration is truly about building others up. They gave my earrings a chance and my business a boost by being the first to add my products to their shelves. From there, a customer reached out about creating custom pet earrings and my reluctant decision to dive into the unfamiliar area of pet portraits is where my business took off. So, R44 also holds a special place in my heart and is well deserving of recognition in my story.

Website: laurelevecc.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/laurelevecc

Facebook: Facebook.com/laurelevecc

Other: laurelevecc.etsy.com

Image Credits
Lumiere Weddings Photography Frawley Photography Five Five Media Co.