A passion that's one of a kind

Leisa Covelli always had problems finding personalized items with her uniquely spelled name. Ever since she was little, if she wanted something with her name embroidered or printed on it, she would have to order it herself. That little problem led her to a big idea.

Five years ago, Covelli was in a coffee shop chatting with two friends about small business ideas. Her love of personalized items gave her the inspiration to start a monogramming business from her home.

“I had a whole boutique up [in my foyer],” Covelli said.

Valerie Reeves met Covelli when their children were in preschool together, and was one of the two friends who spoke with Covelli in the coffee shop about her idea. “She bought a decorated koozie for another friend of ours. … She was looking at that thing and said ‘You know, I could do this … I could make these.’ And crazy enough, she did,” Reeves said.

Setting up shop

On March 4, Covelli moved all of her merchandise out of her family’s foyer and opened her first storefront boutique, compete with colorful displays, an embroidering room and a play area for children. Her frequent customers approved of the move and have followed her business to its new location in Fern Park.

“It just took off from there,” Reeves said. “She is a go-getter. … She just never limited herself to those koozies.”

Walking into her store, Leisa Lovely Designs, one can see that the business has certainly grown beyond decorated koozies. Displays in the shop bear a multitude of items: beach towels, tutus, T-shirts, handbags, baby items and memo boards, among others. You name it, she monograms it.

Community support

Covelli was a teacher in Orlando for three years before starting her business, and that inspired her to give back to schools in the area. Her store features a “school spirit” line, with clothing that sports the name and colors of local schools. Twenty percent of the sales from the line goes back to the schools. She also supports local entrepreneurs by selling their crafts in her shop.

“Every time I found out more about Leisa, there was something more inspirational to find out about,” said Donna Jones, who also met Covelli because their children went to school together.

While many businesses are closing their doors, Leisa has had the fortune to be opening hers to loyal customers and new fans. “I felt this was the time to do it because my following was so solid,” Covelli said.

Bucking the trend

Covelli encourages those who want to start a business to learn from both their own mistakes and the mistakes of others. She also advises them, above all, to do what they have a heart for and to be patient. She started small and grew slowly from there, building relationships with customers and expanding her merchandise.

“So many of us moms are out there shopping, and we know the value of things,” Jones said. “We know how hard it is to find that extra little special gift for somebody that’s a reflection of you. The fact that all these women found her stuff a reflection of them as well spoke highly of her.”

Reeves said, “She had a big picture, she had a big vision and she just worked hard to make it happen.”

Love what you do

When speaking of the coffee shop conversation that started it all, Reeves said, “It would have been so easy to just let the dream die, but she did not. She absolutely did not, and she’s a success today.”

The whole moving process took barely more than three months.

“You’ve gotta love what you do,” Covelli said. “You can’t do it because you want to get a big paycheck. It takes years when you’re doing your own business to get a paycheck. … You do it because it’s a passion. You’ve gotta have a passion for it.”

Learn more

Leisa Lovely Designs is located at 7800 S. HWY 17-92, #178, Fern Park and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Call 407-467-2411 or email [email protected]