“There are so many personalities, and there are so many different types of people, but in the big picture, so many people want to support small businesses,” Ashcraft said.
Ashcraft, a Pearland resident and a Friendswood business owner, said the vinyl store’s biggest seller is heat-transfer vinyl. The store’s second-biggest seller is shirts for school, as students can wear T-shirts with the district’s logo on them, she said.
That Vinyl Store opened in Friendswood in February 2019. Shortly after opening, the two owners had to start taking care of their parents. They sold the business to Ashcraft in October 2019.
“We’re still friends,” she said. “They come in and tell me the store is how they pictured it.”
The colorful store sells heat-transfer vinyl, cups, T-shirts and gift items. Customers either come in and buy the vinyl and items to do the project themselves, or they pick out what they want with Ashcraft doing the project.
Ashcraft began working on vinyl as a hobby when her daughter started playing softball.
“More moms started coming to me for things, and so I started a business in my home,” she said.
The business has continued to succeed, even through working from home at the onset of the pandemic, she said. Because she has continued to stay successful, Ashcraft has donated as much as she can; after Winter Storm Uri, she sold T-shirts and gave the profits to the Houston Food Bank.
“I am still able to help people,” Ashcraft said. “I am very lucky to do that.”
Ashcraft finds support from the other small businesses in Friendswood as well. The community has a lot of women lifting each other up and small businesses helping each other, she said.
“No one steps on each other’s toes,” she said. “I may not know the store owner ... but I have heard of the store, and I know how important that store is to that owner.”
