Upright makes accessories with inspirational messages
Robbinsville – Wendy Upright of Robbinsville makes and sells tote bags, zipper pouches and baby blankets with a hidden message – the linings display Bible verses and music lyrics intended to “encourage, motivate and inspire.”
Her business is a grassroots operation. She crafts her merchandise at home in her den with the help of her daughter, Shelby Easter, and her daughter-in-law, Courtney Cable. She gathers raw materials from hobby and sewing stores, especially keeping her eyes open for fabric with inspirational script.
Her customers come to her word-of-mouth, although she is working on a website (secretblessings.net, expected to go live within days) and you can contact her via email at secretblessings.net@yahoo.com.
Social media? She has a personal Facebook page, but not one for her business.
It’s a small operation, but one that has gained the attention of a big bank.
Secret Blessings has been selected as a top-10 finalist in Barclays US Consumer Bank’s “Small Business Big Wins” promotion and stands to be awarded a share of the contest’s $255,000 prize pool.
Small Biz Big Wins was created to provide a boost to small businesses with compelling stories of resilience in a landscape forever changed by COVID-19.
The promotion, which launched on Feb. 11, invited small businesses from across the nation to share how they met the unique demands of 2021 for a chance to win the $60,000 grand prize or one of many cash prizes. The total prize fund for the promotion is $255,000.
Upright recalled what led her to enter the contest.
“I saw it on my news feed,” Upright said. “I thought, well, I’m a small business.”
Secret Blessings edged out more than 4,750 entrants from across the country to make it to the final 10.
From April 13 through April 22 (tomorrow), the public can review the stories of the top-10 finalists and vote for their favorite small business at BarclaysSmallBizBigWins.com.
The total prize breakdown for the top 10 includes:
* One Grand Prize of $60,000
* One 2nd Place Prize of $40,000
* One 3rd Place Prize of $20,000
* Seven Runner-Up Prizes of $5,000 each
Upright’s day job is district media coordinator (a job formerly known as librarian) for Graham County Schools, where she divides her time between between the media centers at Robbinsville high, middle and elementary schools.
“I enjoy it. I love my job. It’s one of the best jobs at the whole school,” she said.
She started making accessories about five years ago, but business started taking off during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She started Secret Blessings to “provide people with words of encouragement and inspiration that they could turn to in their everyday items when life got tough or scary. I hope during the pandemic we were able to provide our customers with a measure of calm and encouragement; we want to extend a huge ‘Thank you’ to those who supported us and hope you’ll continue to support us with your vote in this competition.”
Tote bags sell for $45 and include a sturdy shoulder strap, an inside pocket and a sewn-in key chain. Simple zippered pouches go for $10 and baby blankets go for around $30, she said.
The announcement of contest winners for the top 10 prizes will take place on May 3 to coincide with National Small Business Week. In addition to the top-10 prize fund, all businesses outside of the top 10 that submitted qualifying entries were entered in a random drawing to win one of 50 $2,000 sweepstakes prizes.
In December 2020, Barclays announced Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs as the winner of its first “Small Business Big Wins” promotion and the recipient of a $50,000 grand prize. The Buffalo, N.Y. restaurant – known for its custom brand of signature hot dogs – emerged victorious in a nationwide vote.