 Like many small businesses, it came about as much by circumstance as
it did by planning. "I made my first gift bag about 15 months ago,
around Christmas," she said. "I bought a bag with a Santa Claus on
it and decided to make it better."At first Deb made the bags to
hold gifts for family, but before long others were asking her to
make one for them, and the rest is Logan County gift bag history. "I
started sharing the bags with friends, and then they asked for
different designs for other occasions. By February I knew that what
I was doing was a business," Rohrer explained.
Now, 15 months and 300 gift bags later, Rohrer has a complete
line of gift bags to fit every occasion.
Rohrer, who is married to her childhood sweetheart, Jim Rohrer,
lives on a rural Lincoln farmstead only a mile from where she grew
up. It is there, in her kitchen and a spare bedroom, that her
one-woman factory makes the gift bags.
At first the bags took a great deal of time to produce. Then Deb
figured out some ways to mass-produce them. Still, the task of
making them just right, with the perfect felt figure on the outside,
is not a quick task for this meticulous woman. "I experimented with
different felt glues until I found one that was quick drying and
didn't have a strong odor. I also started looking for more patterns
to fit other occasions besides Christmas. I then started buying felt
in 10-yard bolts (to cut costs)," she explained.
The felt is cut out and then Rohrer machine stitches the bags
together. She then cuts out the design and glues it on the front and
adds a bold blanket stitch to give the bags a more personal and
professional look.
At any given time of the day, or night, Deb can be found cutting
out designs or felt at the kitchen counter. She likes to do several
designs at once, "just to keep from being bored," and she has
amassed quite a collection of bags with all kinds of designs,
including a few "generic, all- occasions" designs to fit any
gift-giving instance.
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The gift bags come in small, medium and large sizes and are priced
from $6 to $10, which makes them hot sellers for someone who wants
to add a unique and different touch to their gift giving.
She also has a wine gift bag size with various designs that costs
$6.
It is the personal touch when presenting a gift in one of these
unique gift bags that gave Deb the name for her small business,
First Impressions.
The Internet has been a big market for Rohrer. One of her friends
in Minnesota at first bought the bags for her dance class but has
continued to buy them for other occasions and has now bought 40 bags
from Rohrer.
Deb still enjoys face-to-face contact, and she is selectively
going to craft shows with her wares. She will be at the Lincoln
Junior Woman's Club craft fair at the Lincoln Park District on
Saturday.
For those who want to add a distinctive touch, save time or for
someone can't wrap a present worth a darn, Rohrer's gift bags make
the perfect first impression when giving a gift.
[By
MIKE FAK]
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