Meredith Owens
📍Wilmington, NC | Owner + Designer - A La Mere
📝 Editor’s Note
My five-year grad school reunion was this past weekend.
It was an MBA program, so I expected there to be a decent amount of sizing each other up on our respective career paths. However, rarely were my conversations with classmates about jobs. Instead, they centered on family life, interesting trips, personal updates, and how excited everyone was to be back in Durham (and to go to Shooters).
When some of the conversations did turn to career, the theme was about finding balance and right-sizing how to approach the next five years. Less about titles and pay, and more about jobs that were fulfilling and providing flexibility to travel and to spend time with family and friends.
The most interesting career update was from one of my closest friends from school. He recently made a job switch that will likely be very fulfilling but one I think he’d admit will also be a grind. He is launching a women’s professional soccer team. Great timing too as there seems to be a huge surge in interest in women’s professional sports coming off Catlin Clark’s incredible college basketball career.
Be on the lookout in a few months — I’ve got a verbal agreement from him to do a profile him once they announce their team name.
Without further ado….
Why Meredith?
Meredith came highly recommended from Julia Ratliff, who mentioned that Meredith is very creative and would be a great profile. A reminder that like Julia, you can submit a profile feature suggestion using this link.
Follow Meredith on Instagram @designalamere
Self-Description
Coastal NC native; loves dessert, a weekend with no plans, a fun pattern mix and "tinkering" -- as my husband calls it -- around the house. Mom to a fiesty mini-goldendoodle and spirited (almost) two year old. Forever on the hunt for an endless summer.
Meredith’s Recommendations
Written in her own words…
Digital Tools
I ordered "Monthbooks" for my daughter's first year of life as way to get some (of the one million) photos of her off my phone and in print! Love the smaller size. We've enjoyed looking through them and she does too. Affordable, easy to use and ships quickly.
+ Pantone Connect Extension -- must have plug-in if you utilize Adobe Creative Cloud software in the design space. I most often use this tool in Illustrator to convert hex codes to the closest Pantone match in whatever Pantone library the client prefers. An incredible digital resource that takes the headache out of color matching.
Food & Drink
Can't quit these fresh, homemade mixers. Simple ingredients and pairs well with other liquors if you're not big on tequila. Also delish without any alcohol base.
Content
Jessica Yellin of "News not Noise"
I recently subscribed to this newsletter after being overwhelmed with big/scary headlines and craving a healthier format to ingest information. Jessica has a really accessible way of distilling facts and providing succinct bullet points on complicated issues. Worth a follow on Instagram too!
Professional
This is what I like to call a one-stop-shop for creative small business owners wondering WTF do I do next?! Drewe & Kate and Wait. What? Consulting were the first two companies I outsourced when I decided to take my side hustle full time. They've now joined forces in a workshop format to help teach the basics of small business ownership...from branding to bookkeeping. Can't recommend this enough, especially if you're just starting out.
Gift
B's Knees Floral Reed Diffuser
My MIL gave me one of these and now I keep them stocked for hostess gifts. Pretty, useful and arrive ready to gift!
Travel
I lived on St. John, USVI and bartended at Woody's Seafood Saloon for right under a year in between undergrad and grad school. The most fun time. I always recommend this little slice of heaven to people looking for a Caribbean destination...especially if not everyone in your party has a passport. Lime Out - the floating taco bar in Coral Bay - is a must do!
Amazon
Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater
In my current phase of life, my most frequent subscribe and save purchase is Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater. I throw this in with baby shower gifts now too. Laundry gamechanger!
Open
Hosted my cousins for a weekend recently and we stayed up until 1am playing Scattergories. Hilarious and enjoyable...even for the folks that don't typically love "organized fun" ;)
Plug
A custom illustration and surface design ranging from stationery and paper goods to textiles and wallpaper. I feel so fortunate to live out my dream running my own company. We launched in March 2020 (woof lol) but have seen so much growth and connection over the last four years. The wedding industry is big for us, but my background in fabric and textiles has allowed for some exciting brand collaborations and hopefully a future product line!
Want to get in touch with Meredith? Email her at meredith@designalamere.com
P.S. from Rambull — check out the latest edition to the Fabric guide library: Spartanburg, SC as recommended by Anna Liles. Check it out here.
Anna’s family restaurant, Wade’s (located in Spartanburg) recently won a 2024 James Beard award!