Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison MacDonald.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
There’s always been a love for arts and travel since I was a kid. This led to me studying literature at Boston College and teaching English here in Boston. When I was working on a graduate program at Oxford, I went to see open-air Shakespeare and met my future husband (and co-owner) Ross, who was acting in the play. Ross immigrated to the US when we got married in 2007. Since then we’ve been continuing in our “other” jobs, acting and teaching, but we’ve always been interested in collaborating on the creative arts and working on a small business together. We have two kids, 8 and 3, and launched Doris Loves last August!
Please tell us about your art.
Our good friends from the UK, Dom and Emma, told us they were beginning a new venture, Doris Loves, which offered 4 feet tall, battery operated marquee letters for events, and a Temporary Tattoo Station with customized tattoos for their clients. Dom and Emma suggested that we open the US branch, as this business would be a great way for us to work together as a group of friends, and it would fit a niche in a creative market that wasn’t really being done this way in the New England area. This process of working together to figure out how to design and build our letters, teach ourselves the electrical process for fitting the lighting, and creating the flawless finishes has been a great partnership. It has been such a good way to build on our UK and US relationships as well!
The biggest message we want to send is the idea of unique individuality. We bring the ability to let people spell out anything and customize their events to be 100 percent personal. Different things we’ve been hired to spell out allow couples to celebrate their specific family backgrounds, their last names, their pride as a couple – phrases like “LOVE IS LOVE,” “MR & MR,” “BABY JOY,” names for birthdays and Bar Mitzvahs…it’s just awesome to see peoples’ identities come through.
Ross and I feel like we have a great love story, and we adore being part of other couples’ and families’ stories as well. Our main business has been weddings and private parties, so we’ve gotten to know so many amazing New Englanders and be part of their stories. O It also has been so great to see them having fun with the letters and tattoos! We know we are bringing a happy moment to them and their guests, which will last forever in their photos,
What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
We know that, even though we have “other” jobs that help us support our family, we also really need the ability to be creative and have that outlet! It’s been so important for us as a couple to work together and collaborate. For artists today, that collaboration may be so helpful- being supported financially is one thing, but creatively and emotionally is just as important.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
We pride ourselves in being as affordable or as lux as each client wants. People pay by the letter, so they can spell out the simplest word or initials and find it adds a unique touch -or they can spell out a whole wedding hashtag or surname to make a huge visual impact. People can see us offering our services gratis or at a huge discount for nonprofits that we want to support – and by giving back to the community, we hope that people will also support our small, family run business as well so that we can keep doing what we do!
Contact Info:
- Address: Doris Loves USA
Based out of Braintree, MA but serving all of New England - Website: www.dorisloves.com
- Phone: 7819642396
- Email: alison@dorisloves.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dorislovesusa
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/dorislovesusa
- Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/doris-loves-usa-marquee-letters-and-tattoo-station-rental-braintree-ma-1064397
http://www.blueflashphotography.com
Image Credit:
Christopher McKenzie Photography, Blueflash Photography, Unique Affairs, Ria Mackenzie Photography
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
