At Charlotte’s Web, a gift shop in Riverview, owner Heather Corley said she has monogrammed everything from galvanized tubs to Uggs.
Last week, customer Amber Sand, 23, brought in panties for her best friend to wear on her wedding day.
“I’m going to have them monogrammed in blue, so that she’ll have the ‘blue’ in ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,’ ” Ms. Sand said. “I know someone who got the same gift for her wedding day, and she loved it.”
From jewelry to pillowcases to towels to cell phones, having a name or initials painted, sewn or engraved on offers a one-of-a-kind personalized touch.
“You can monogram just about anything,” Ms. Corley said, citing clothing, baby items, tote bags, linens, crystal, silver, candles, hip flasks, compacts, pill boxes, money clips, car windows and cell phones as popular items.
In the last few months, Ms. Corley said, she has seen a huge increase in the number of shoes (particularly Uggs) and scarves being brought to the store for personalization.
“It’s mostly teenagers who are having their boots monogrammed, but we had people of all ages bringing in scarves. We monogrammed hundreds of scarves for Christmas,” she said.
The most ambitious project, to date, was a tablecloth given as a wedding present.
The customer “had us monogram each person’s name in the wedding as well as a quote from each one,” Ms. Corley said. “It involved a lot of work, but it was beautiful.”
Recently, she said, a customer brought in a University of Alabama banner to have “National Champions” added to the design.
The monogramming business is especially popular around holidays and for special events such as birthdays, weddings and graduations.
“We do a ton of wedding gifts,” she said.
QUOTE RAIL
Phyllis Mescon
“I would love to own a set of white handmade ceramic plates with my initials etched into the porcelain in the center of each plate. I saw the work of artist Mae Mougin, who does this type of work. Very expensive plates but lovely and interesting.”
Steven B. Ray
“I got a great golf towel from my sister for Christmas with my name monogrammed on the front. Golfers love their name monogrammed on things.”
TYPOGRAPHY* A typical monogram places the initials of the first name on the left, middle or maiden name on the right and last name, slightly larger, in the center.* If initials are monogrammed in the same order of the full name, each initial is the same size.* A fairly new trend is the marriage monogram — a single initial for the shared surname or the surname initial in the center, with the couple’s first-name initials on either side.* While interlocking script continues to be the most popular monogramming choice, many customers opt for a bolder Roman font. “It’s more masculine, but many people are choosing it,” said Heather Corley.
Donna Laster Goza
“Monogrammed baby items make wonderful gifts for new mothers and babies. I think monogramming is especially big in the South. It’s more than just the monogrammed sweaters that we grew up with. People use it to make a personal statement.”
Jeffrey Dendy
“I am a big fan of monogrammed guest towels and thank-you notes. Does anyone ever send handwritten notes anymore?”
Faye Hayes
“I think men’s shirts with monogrammed cuffs are very cool. It’s just the right amount of sophistication.”
Harvey Whitaker
“I monogrammed my jeans with my initials on the back pocket when I was in the seventh grade. The girls loved it.”