Chalk it up to mere coincidence, and DeAnn Roney will
respectfully disagree with you. So, too, will Maureen Dingle.
It happened one Friday night, as the two of them wandered the
aisles of a large craft and hobby store outside of Chicago. The lateness of the
hour suddenly struck them when a voice over the loudspeaker encouraged everyone
to bring their items to the front so the store could close for the evening.
Each shopper made their way toward the front, with Maureen a few steps ahead of
DeAnn. Lines formed at the last few open registers, and it was here that the
paths of our two ladies finally crossed. As DeAnn scanned her surroundings
waiting for her turn to check out, her eyes fell on something that immediately
grabbed her attention. The Greenhouse Fabrics sample book in Maureen's hand
held significance to each lady, but for quite different reasons.
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| Maureen Dingle of Fyne Things |
Maureen is the founder of Fyne Things - her interior
decorating business which specializes in custom drapery. In operation for
nearly a decade, Fyne Things got its start with a bit of a coincidence
itself. About 10 years ago, Maureen had recently moved, and was placing the
finishing touches on her new home. When a neighbor suggested someone who might
be able to help her with design, she met not only a project consultant, but
someone with 35 years of experience in drapery and window treatment, and the
person who would provide encouragement and inspiration for Maureen to launch
her business. In a short amount of time she had realized what she enjoyed
doing, and made a career of it. It is not often that dreams, opportunities, and
resources present themselves, much less at the same time, but when they do come
together, they make a wonderful composition. This business is what put Maureen
in the craft store that Friday night, and her partnership with Greenhouse
Fabrics supplied her with the sample book she was carrying, matching colors to
finish a project. When DeAnn saw the sample book, she knew she had to have it -
or one like it.
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| Cameron Roney |
DeAnn is not an interior decorator, but sample books are as
important to her as they are to anyone in our industry. DeAnn's son, Cameron,
suffers from extreme sensory issues. Early on, a teacher recognized his
fascination with tearing paper, and attempted to supply him with a more durable
material. Pulling, tearing or rubbing with his hands seemed to calm him or
soothe his feelings. When he made quick work of a wallpaper sample book, the
teacher suggested a fabric book instead, and it was love at first touch. That
was over 15 years ago. Cameron is now in his early twenties, and that same
fabric book has been with him the whole way. Well beyond its retirement age, it
was high time to replace the worn tatters of the book. Unfortunately, DeAnn had
experienced great difficulty locating new sample books, and had begun to grow
desperate. Cameron's book, such as it was, gave him the most peace of mind, and
it was nearly disintegrated. But as fate would have it, she walked into the
craft store late that Friday night, and unlike before, when she encountered
Maureen, she met with someone more than willing to help. Others in the past had
simply been unwilling or unable to help her in her quest for books. But, when
Maureen understood DeAnn's struggles, she leapt at the opportunity to assist.
With a simple call to her account representative at Greenhouse, she was able to
supply DeAnn with several discontinued fabric books, and put a big smile on
Cameron's face.
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| Cameron's favorite sample book |
- Josiah
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| Fyne Things Designs |
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