Impressions - October 2014 - 52

Shop SPOTLIGHT

Absolutely Specialties Inc.
Originally started in
founder Elaine Hayward's basement,
Absolutely Specialties now operates
in 1,400 square feet of space in a
former single-family home.

More Than Luck
Absolutely Specialties proves you don't have to be the
biggest decorated apparel shop to be one of the best.
By Michael J. Pallerino, Contributing Writer

f you ask Elaine Hayward to tell you
the story about the man cave, she's
sure to smile. When she came up
with the concept for her decorated apparel
business, Absolutely Specialties Inc., she
was looking for a way to balance her roles
as a stay-at-home mom and (at least) parttime worker.
But to make the idea work, she needed
the perfect place - one that would be
conducive to getting work done and being
present when her kids needed her.
Much to the dismay of her husband and
his man cave, the family basement was that
perfect place. Starting as a storage and production base - since everything involved
outside sales - the space evolved quickly.
Eventually, Hayward set up a showroom
and had customers stopping by her house.
"We treated [the basement] as a real
business," she says. "As we grew, there was
so much trafﬁc in the neighborhood from
customers and delivery trucks that the
neighbors wondered what was going on
down there."
Hayward quickly learned to treat her
new business like a real job. She loved the

Impressions | October/November 2014

30-second "commute" to work. Most importantly, she could simply walk upstairs
to see the kids whenever she wanted. The
only downside - other than her husband's
missing man cave - was that customers
constantly visited their home at all hours
during the day and night.

SPLITTING THE SPACE
Today, after 10 years in the basement,
Absolutely Specialties occupies 1,400
square feet of space in a former single-family

Absolutely Specialties Inc.
At A Glance
Company Name: Absolutely Specialties
Address: 1381 Scenic Hwy S.
Snellville, GA 30078
Year Founded: 1994
No. of Employees: Full-time: 4; Part-time: 5
Services Offered: Embroidery, screen printing,
engraving, monogramming, vinyl production,
stationary customization and direct-togarment printing
Company Website: absolutelyspecialties.com

home (surprised?) on a busy stretch of highway in Snellville, Ga. The company includes
four full-time workers, including Hayward,
and ﬁve part-time employees. During the
holidays, different seasons and for special
events, she brings in more help as needed.
About half of the facility's space is
dedicated to production (embroidery,
printing, engraving, monogramming services, vinyl production, stationary customization and direct-to-garment printing)
and inventory storage. (Hayward plans to
move into a 2,800-square-foot location
in the near future.) Its equipment portfolio includes: four embroidery machines
(three SWF and one Brother); an engraving machine; a vinyl-cutting machine; a
Brother direct-to-garment printer; and
screen-printing equipment.
The other half of the shop is the showroom, where customers can ﬁnd handbags
and men's gifts, scarves, linens, corporate
wear, seasonal gifts, local high school
spiritwear, baby and children's apparel,
glassware, jewelry and more. In fact, many
of the company's services can be done on
site, meaning customers can get almost
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Impressions - October 2014

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