Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Ostrowski.
Hi Rachel, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started by doing custom pieces and invitations for family and friends, then I worked for a gal for a few years doing weddings. I decided to quit working for this company to figure out what I wanted for my family and myself. My husband was the one who pushed me to start my own business. So in the fall of 2022, I started 212 (2 Twelve) Custom Invitations (212 Customs for short). The past 3 years have been full of trial and error, but we are growing this year and added rentals to our business and that seems to really be picking up. We try to grow with the current trends and those are always changing.
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?
It has not. This year has been the smoothest year so far. I’m still not where I want to be, but we are getting there. The struggles are competing with AI. When it comes to invitation’s, we are constantly met with “we will just do E vites” or “I know someone who can do this cheaper”. It is a battle that I’m afraid will always be there.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We specialize custom invitations, signage, rentals, and backdrops. We are more known for our ability to create pretty much anything and even on short notice, and for our rentals this year. I am proud to call our small business “family run” because that’s exactly what we are. My husband does all of our builds, both my parents help in any area they can, my brother-in-law does all of our lasering and CNC cutting for our custom pieces, my sister helps with marketing and sales, and my father-in-law does our painting. I think that’s what sets us apart from others, we are geared to design any custom piece and deliver on quick turn around and quality craftsmanship and our whole family is what makes this happen.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
We are hoping to be busy enough that my husband can “partially retire” and be home more often. He is an owner operator who hauls oversize freight. So, juggling my business and his can be a challenge sometimes but we always manage! That’s where family comes in. As far as trends go, we are hoping to bring back actual paper inventions that have so much meaning and can be a keepsake later on down the road. Keepsakes are becoming a thing of the past and we want to make sure that doesn’t happen! I’m old school I guess, and I feel AI can’t take over everything!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.212customs.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/212custominvitations
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/212custominvitations
