The Iola Area Business EXPO gave Candace McRae the perfect setting Friday evening and Saturday to spread the word about her home-based business. FRIDAY’S mid-spring weather gave way to cooler temps on Saturday, which most exhibitors at the EXPO figured was an advantage.
McRae, 28, has done graphic design work part time while working at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center the past two years. Now, with her and husband J.D.’s daughter Ella a year old, McRae will shift to full time at their Iola home to produce everything from wedding invitations to large posters to website design.
Her booth at the EXPO gave visibility to McRae’s skills and educated potential customers to how she could meet their needs.
Examples of her creations include marketing designs for Allen County Regional Hospital fundraising efforts and Allen County Animal Rescue Facility. In the commercial realm she can generate ideas for logos, as well as custom-designed business cards and stationary.
Her creations aren’t bound by product size.
At the Bowlus Center and for previous customers she has produced posters, from flyer size to 24-by-18 inches, and larger signs to draw attention of passersby.
Simply put, “I can help with anything to do with design work,” McRae said.
McRae notes that her Candie Cardz, wedding and birth announcements and greeting and holiday cards, are unique; no two are the same.
“When someone comes to me for a wedding announcement, I take their theme and produce two or three designs for them to select from,” McRae said.
Graphic design has been in McRae’s future since she was a toddler.
“I was drawing before I could even write,” she said, and “when I was little my dream was to be an animator.”
Thoughts about career direction took flight in graphic design classes at Lee’s Summit, Mo., High School, where she graduated in 2003.
“That really sparked my interest, particularly when I started putting designs on a computer,” McRae said.
She then earned a degree in graphic design and marketing from the University of Central Missouri.
“I love to make custom pieces to fit people’s personalities, everything from country girl to country club girl,” McRae said.
McRae may be reached at McraeDesign@gmail.com or 816-916-7051.
Inside the Community Recreation Building they found sweet and tantalizing cake samples at Stacy Cakes’ booth, a multitude of places to sign up for giveaways, information galore at dozens of booths and even soothing guitar music from Randy and Tom Bevard at their booth, which doubled as a site for T&R Guitar Exchange and Freedom Ministries.
ACARF showed several dogs available for adoption that were difficult to ignore, including a little waif Friday night who had been mistreated prior to being taken in and showed it in his reluctance to be petted.
The EXPO’s theme was “Lawn, Home and Garden” and several booths had fresh and artificial flowers brightening the arena.
A feature was the giveaway of $500 EXPO bucks, which required a documented visit to each booth. The prize was won by Bryana Specht, with the bucks good for purchases at any of the EXPO exhibitors.
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