Several years ago, Sharon Sloane was feeling unfulfilled. The china shop where she had worked for years was failing. The unrewarding tasks of bookkeeping and running the business were crowding out the creative, artistic and marketing jobs she enjoyed.  She picked up grown-up coloring books – with intricate Japanese patterns – to serve as an outlet for her frustrated creativity.

One day saw a purse made of Japanese fabric. The vivid colors and patterns reminded her of the ones she colored. She felt, however, that the purse needed a better design. In fact, Sharon believed that she was the one who could accomplish that. Excited in a way she hadn’t been for a long time, she spent that night searching e-bay and other internet sites for vintage Japanese kimono and obi. Undaunted by the fact that she had little money and couldn’t sew, Sharon ordered fabric.

Just days after she ordered the kimono and obi, she realized she hadn’t been feeling well. Attributing it to stress – the decline of the china shop, years as a single parent of three sons, two of whom had been in a recent car accident, and a move from their long-time home – she made a trip to the doctor’s office to have her blood pressure checked.  At the physician’s insistence, she left his office by ambulance and went to the hospital where she had emergency heart surgery to remedy the blockage of an artery.

Sharon returned home to find the first delivery of Japanese obi and kimono on her doorstep. As she was recovering from surgery, more packages of the vintage clothing arrived. “It never crossed my mind not to start the business,” Sharon said. 

She reframed her surgery as a wake-up call, her lack of fulfillment as an opportunity to make adjustments, and the failure of the shop as the perfect timing to start Shamar Custom Designs. She appreciated her ability to combine colors and designs (instead of focusing on her inability to sew, or lack of money, security or venues to sell her purses) as the requisite skills to begin. With each step – finding people to sew her designs, museums and shops to sell her accessories – she envisioned how following one lead after another would lead to her success.

Today, Sharon’s one-of-a-kind handmade purses from vintage silk kimono and obi have been featured in numerous articles on style and fashion. They appear at fundraisers for organizations including the Philadelphia Orchestra and at the shop of the National Museum for Women in the Arts. In February, her creations were included in the “Everybody Wins at the Oscars” gift baskets – the ultimate in goodie bags given to stars who were nominated but didn’t take home the top prize.

“I didn’t know exactly what materials  I would need or what purses I would design,” said Sharon. “But I always believed I would be successful.” To learn more about Sharon’s A-Idea, visit her web site (coming soon - http://www.shamarpurses.com/ )