The Polkadot Rose

Susie Durrschmidt thinks of herself as a woman on a mission.

And that mission is to bring the beauty and comfort of vintage art and other items that evoke dreams and romance to as many people as she can reach.

If that sounds a bit unusual for a corporate mission statement, The Polka Dot Rose is as far from the corporate world as a business can be.

In the words of Durrschmidt herself, here’s how it got started:

"I started my online boutique in 2007. Most of my life, I have been collecting things I love from all over the good old USA. My sweet little cottage (in Rocky Point, N.Y.) was starting to burst at the seams. Everyone who would come over would tell me they always felt like shopping when they were at my home!

"I always love a boutique and shop in small villages just for that purpose. I love the quaintness, extra touches, superior customer service and always wished I could have a shop."

And now that she does (of the online variety), "I am thrilled beyond belief.

She calls her customer service "one of happiness and joy" and aims to make her patrons feel as though they were receiving a birthday present in the mail whenever the package they order from The Polka Dot Rose arrives in the mailbox.

Durrschmidt is a member of Make Mine Pink, a shopping Web site and network that provides business advice, marketing assistance, camaraderie and key contacts for entrepreneurial women who own and operate small, online businesses like The Polka Dot Rose. "It is very nurturing, helpful, innovative, supportive and fun," she says.

She is most excited these days about a new product line that she created herself, called "If the Shoe Fits – Altered Art for Cinderella Dreams." It started with a shoe-shaped pin cushion, using vintage lace, ribbons, buttons and other embellishments. "One turned into two, two into four, four into eight …," Durrschmidt explains. "Each one has its own personality that develops as I’m working.

Besides using them for pins, she says, "they are also unique as place-card holders at a ladies’ luncheon or bridal shower, or as part of a centerpiece. I can see them on top of cakes made for that special person who loves glamour – protected, of course, so they can keep it afterwards."

The typical Polka Dot Rose customer, says Durrschmidt, is "someone like myself who loves beauty – even in simple things. Sees it, needs to have it. Someone who appreciates the days of yesteryear and romantic days-gone-by and wishes to recreate through décor in their own homes. Simple additions can bring immediate change to a room."

Just as a burst of motivation brought change to the founder and owner of The Polka Dot Rose.