Father daughter duo open custom creation store

If you ask Lisa Lamont, she’ll joke that she has a hostile work environment.

If you ask her dad, Ken Hurst, he’ll likely tell you the same.

The father daughter duo can’t complain too much though, they did go into business together.

“But we work together well,” they laugh.

The two recently opened Made With Grace, a store that creates custom gifts for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, or any occasion.

The two really do work well together with Ken drawing upon over 35 years in wood manufacturing to be hands-on with the creation of the items. Lisa has the experience — she started the business as a hobby out of her home in 2012 — and is good with the technical side of things.

“We kinda both do a little of everything,” Ken said.

The beginning of the business was spurred when Lisa ordered some personalized items online and ran into problems. “I ordered them as Christmas gifts in September. So, I gave them plenty of time to get it done,” she explained.

Apparently it wasn’t enough time. The gifts arrived late and what she did receive was broken.

Her husband, Bill, told her she could do the same thing herself if she wanted and as a gift, he bought her a machine to create vinyl letters and shapes. Then, around Christmas of 2011, Lisa posted a photo of the first cups she created. “Then someone said, ‘hey, can you make me one of those for me.’ It just went from there,” she said. “I started with a cup and then I made a tile and then I made something else and it just went from there.”

She established Made With Grace in 2012 and began to make items from her home. She named the business after her daughter Kenley Grace, who at five enjoys placing some of the vinyl dots on items for mom but hasn’t quite fully joined the new family business.

Lisa continued to work full-time for Progressive Insurance while her personalized gift business kept growing, mainly through marketing on Facebook, until finally she had to make a decision. “Which one did I want to do,” she said.

She decided to go for it and her dad joined her as a partner in opening the new business at 407 Clay Street in Jasper on November 1.

Out of the new storefront the two offer customized creations ranging from apparel, ceramic tiles, cups, tumblers, wood, and glass items. The process can be done through embroidery, vinyl application, carving, or etching. They offer many items for purchase that can be customized but customers can bring in their own items.

“Personalized tiles are very popular right now,” Ken said. “They can be hung on a wall or placed on a shelf with an easel back.”

They also offer fresh fruit bouquets. Lisa lived in Louisville before returning to Jasper and could purchase the fruit bouquets as gifts. When she returned to the area, the closest place she could find someone to do the bouquets was in Evansville.

The shop offers the bouquets in four sizes and customers have the option of dipping the fruit in dark, milk, or white chocolate. They also deliver the bouquets in Dubois County.

Lisa has always wanted to start a business but is still surprised to find herself with the new store in Jasper. It’s a new experience for her, but for Ken, who knows the stress associated with working in manufacturing, the new business is a joy. “She was a little stressed yesterday,” Ken said. “But I told her this is a breeze compared to working in manufacturing for 35 years and dealing with some of the issues there.”

Lisa lives in Jasper with her husband, Bill and their two children, Noah, 8, and Kenley, 5. Ken and his wife, Sharon, have lived in Jasper all their lives. Lisa’s brother, Aaron, programs computerized cutting machines and helps with programming the vinyl cutter the shop purchased when they opened the new store.

Lisa and Ken pride themselves in creating whatever the customer wants. One of their more interesting requests was for a toddler onesie that said “My mom doesn’t need your advice.”

Made With Grace, 407 Clay Street, is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday, 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. The business’ phone number is 812-848-2003. More pictures and contact information is on the company’s Facebook Page.