Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeanine Viani.
Hi Jeanine, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Art 2 Heart started off in 2004. Lori Westling, our founder and an artist, had just become a new Christian, and felt the Holy Spirit moving her to use her creativity for His Kingdom. She started by making & selling beaded flatware and donating all the proceeds to support a village in Zambia. God used Lori’s small act of obedience to bring Art 2 Heart to where we are today. 21 years later, we strive to stay true to the vision. We want the lives impacted by Art 2 Heart to be transformed through the love and hope of Jesus Christ. We do this with 80 volunteers (including Lori), blessing others through creativity through 3 ministries.
Most people know Art 2 Heart through its give-back gift shop in a lovely,
historic home in Hamel, MN, which features décor and gifts that are unique,
handcrafted, dignity-certified, and faith-encouraging. Because the shop is
completely volunteer-run, 100% of sales proceeds from this mission-minded
marketplace are donated to ministries and outreaches locally and around the
world!
Art 2 Heart also runs a thriving prayer/care ministry that seeks to
encourage individuals and groups within our community and across the country
through prayer, handwritten notes, and care packages.
Each week, a talented team of artists gathers in the Art 2 Heart upstairs
studio to volunteer their creative gifts to directly bless local
organizations Our Creative Hearts artists make handcrafted products that can
be used by churches, nursing homes, and other ministries to bless their
staff and the people they serve.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
God has provided what we need each step along the way. The growth was a first slow, and was certainly not a goal – we just responded to what He put in front of us. First, we sold items from home. Then the local bank offered for us to sell out of their teller window one hour/week. In 2014 we secured a small storefront in Hamel, MN, and moved across the street to an historical home in 2017. We raised money for expenses – first, for the materials for the items we made and sold, and then for the rent/expenses from the shop.
For several years, we sold our items at other retail stores on consignment, and over COVID we sold on-line. However, while both were successful, it turned out to be a struggle to maintain. Keeping track of consigned inventory without a robust inventory management system proved very cumbersome. Selling products on-line was difficult to keep up with, both without that inventory mgt system and also the service expectations everyone has come to expect in the age of Amazon. We decide to refocus our selling activities to on-site, at the shop.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
This is Jeanine – I spent my career working in several Fortune 500 companies in Supply Chain. I was a customer of Art 2 Heart for several years, as they are just 3 miles from my home, and I knew about their great work they do from my church. When I retired in 2020, I joined the volunteer team as a bookkeeper. I later joined the Board and became Executive Director.
I am most proud of the work that our volunteers are doing for His Kingdom. (1) All of the profit from our gift shop sales are giving away to local and international ministries and outreaches. Many of our vendors and artists selling product in the shop are supporting ministries themselves. We make connections at the shop, and often pray with our customers (2) Our Creative Hearts team made over 3900 items last year, including hygiene kits for girls in Kenya, hats and scarves for the unhoused in Minnesota, and windchimes for a local grief support group. These are made with joy and love, and a lot of laughter in our studio (3) Our HEartReach prayer and outreach team sent out over 70 care packages and responded to countless prayer requests for those seeking comfort. They also blessed local nurses, police and fire departments with sweet treats, bookmarks and thank you notes for the work they do for the community.
What sets us apart – we are 100% volunteer run. We are running this entire operation on prayer and love for the Lord and for each other.
What are your plans for the future?
We will continue to respond to what God puts in front of us.
We have increased the number of special shopping events we hold for local ministries, where 20% of that day’s sales are donated to the ministry of the day (the rest of the profits from that day are also given away!). That allows us to get the word out about the work we do, bringing in more customers, who then also bring us more volunteers, more prayer requests, and more ministries that we can support.
We are partnering with local churches to do the same.
We also starting holding some art classes in our studio, to allow our volunteers more opportunities to use their creative gifts and to bring others to the shop to enjoy the classes too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ourart2heart.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourart2heart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/art2heartmn/
