When the pandemic hit, small businesses reeled from the impact. While most folks would shy from the opportunity to start something new in financially troubling times, this was not the case with two young entrepreneurs. Sometimes from ashes, great things rise.
Levittown native Lacey Melendez and Wantagh resident Rosie Snyder, co-owners of “Roses & Lace Creations,” are two hard-working students who wanted to make a difference during the worldwide health crisis.
(Photo courtesy of Roses and Lace Creations)
Both young women, who are creative at heart, decided that the time was right to start something new. Melendez, who works for a local Catholic school as a teaching assistant and attends SUNY Old Westbury to pursue her Masters in adolescent education in social studies, wanted to make something that could “make an impact.” Co-owner Snyder, who attends Molloy College where she is studying clinical mental health counseling, felt the same way.
(Photo courtesy of Roses and Lace Creations)
The latter had been using a friend’s small Cricut machine to make personalized crafts for family and friends. She wanted to create more, so Snyder purchased a larger Cricut machine for Melendez’s birthday. The gift enabled both women to consider a start-up business with a focus on current events. Because both women still attend college, they also wanted something that might enable them to have some pocket change and save up enough money to achieve their dream of visiting Disneyland.
(Photo courtesy of Roses and Lace Creations)
According to Melendez, it all began with face masks.
“We started out making masks for family members,” she said. “Since Rosie and I love Disney so much, we decided to make a lot of masks featuring Disney characters. The more we made, the more people wanted a personalized creation of their own.” Snyder bowls for the Molloy Bowling Team, so a mask was personalized to reflect her sport.
(Photo courtesy of Roses and Lace Creations)
In June 2020, their personalizing path began.
“We had spent so much time at home because of the pandemic,” Melendez said. “We wanted to use the time wisely.”
The masks, which are made of cotton, quickly became their most popular item. Personalized items don’t seem to be an issue, either.
“We can do anything that you can think of,” Melendez explained. “People call us all the time and ask, ‘Can you do this for us?’ It started as just masks, but then it began to branch out to things like personalized bags, sweatshirts, t-shirts and even baby onesies. Right now, we are working on personalized Christmas ornaments. We really love how they look.”
(Photo courtesy of Roses and Lace Creations)
As time has progressed, so has the business.
“We’re doing decals for cars now,” Melendez said. “We’re working on color changing cups, and even tumblers. This business keeps growing, and we’re so happy about that. We’re even happier when we see a satisfied customer.”
A typical order takes about a week for turnaround during the school semester, but during the summer and holiday time, customers can have their items in even less time. The dynamic duo can handle custom bulk orders and party favors as well.
The owners of “Roses and Lace Creations” enjoy pitching in for the good of the community.
“A family friend works for the Glen Cove School District food pantry,” Melendez said. “We helped to fill the food baskets and even placed personalized onesies into baskets of families who recently had a new baby. We wanted to welcome those babies into the community, so we designed the onesies with ‘#GlenCoveStrong.’ The best part of the experience was that we got to deliver the baskets to the families in need. It was a real joy to see the look of happiness on the faces of those who got a basket, especially when they saw the onesies.”
“We set the price of masks at $6 a piece,” Melendez said. “We wanted to make the price fair for everyone. We sell onesies at $10 per piece, T-shirts are $20 and sweatshirts are $25. We supply the material, but if a client wishes to bring their own items in, we will adjust the price accordingly. We do a lot of work for teachers, especially because I have a lot of friends who are teachers. Crayons, personalized name masks, scissors—you name it, we make it.”
(Photo courtesy of Roses and Lace Creations)
The team also creates mask cases, which come in various sizes. Compact and cute, these little bags fit perfectly into any pocketbook, glove box or backpack.
“Roses and Lace Creations” is currently working on color-changing cups and glitter tumblers. Melendez mentioned that the glitter tumblers are her favorite items.
“The tumblers are so beautiful,” she said. “We add the glitter and wait for the epoxy to cure. When it dries, it shines in the light and is so solid.”
Depending on the design that a customer desires, the tumblers range in price from $25 to $30. And yes, they can be personalized.
Both Melendez and Snyder want their customers to be completely satisfied with their work.
According to Melendez, “I want the final product to be perfect. Sometimes that takes a lot of time, but I want the customer to be happy. I also like to hand-deliver items, especially if the customer lives on Long Island. I like to make sure that the client gets the item in the same condition that it left my home. At the end of the day, we’re just two college students who are trying to make it through the pandemic by helping people. We also want to make fun things that make people happy.”
If you are interested in having Roses and Lace Creations make you a personalized item or two, you can find them at rosesandlacecreations on Instagram. They can be found on FaceBook at Roses & Lace Creations. They also have a TikTok, which is rosesandlacecreations, as well as a SnapChat which is Roses and Lace Creations. Their website is currently under construction. The easiest way to contact them is through their Facebook page, which offers a quick response time. Rosesandlacecreations@gmail.com is where you can reach them by email.
Patty Servidio is an Anton Media Group columnist.
