We are sisters Amy and Elaine Gilmore from Columbus, Ohio. We started designing walker and wheelchair bags because we couldn’t find any to meet our needs. We branched out into tote bags, purses and accessories because, like a lot of women, we love them and were always buying them. In 2009, we were “downsized” from our day jobs so we decided to sell our designs full time and RockNRoadTripper Designs was born.
Apart from creating things, what do you do?Even though we work together everyday we do still
like to have fun together. We like to travel and go to concerts, we love live music!
Where do you get your creativity from?
I guess from our mom. She used to sew us
matching outfits and knit blankets, scarves and
purses. She always encouraged us to be crafty. We
made shrinky-dinks and latch hook rugs. We wove
lots of potholders and made macramé plant
hangers. We learned to cross stitch, paint and take
great pictures. We did it all!
What got you into the craft hobby?
We’ve been crafting since we were kids. We started
making bags after Amy began having mobility issues.
Then when we found ourselves unemployed, we
decided to turn our craft into our business.
How would you describe your creative process?
We are napkin sketchers. We sketch things out and
make a prototype. Then we tear it apart and redo it
until we get it right. Sometimes we are inspired by a
fabric we see or a bag someone was carrying. Other
times we see a need and design a product to meet
that need.
What is your most favorite item that you have ever produced?
Elaine’s favorite thing she ever made was actually a
Christmas gift for Amy. She calls it Too Much Rock
for One Cow and it combines Amy’s love of music
with her love of, you guessed it, cows.
Our favorite bag is one that we designed for a friend
that attaches to her walker and holds her portable
oxygen tank along with all of the items she would
normally carry in a purse. It is pretty and stylish and converts to a tote bag too.
We started going to craft shows, then selling on
etsy. Now we have our own website
(www.rocknroadtripper.com) and are adding online
shopping. We also do some home parties.
What are your goals with your business?
We would like to make enough money to support
ourselves and our love of travel and rock-n-roll!
What do you do in your free time?
We spend time with friends and family, listen to
music and travel when we can.
What's the message behind your work?
I don’t know if there is a message, maybe just
because you have a handicap doesn’t mean you have
to carry an ugly bag.
Check out Rock n Road Tripper this fall at the Avant-Garde Fall Art & Craft Show. This eclectic show will feature 67 of the areas most talented artisans and crafters. A portion of the show's proceeds will be donated to the North East Ohio Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Avant-Garde Fall Art & Craft Show
Sunday, October 23, 2011, 10:00am-5:00pm
Holy Spirit Byzantine Catholic Church
5500 West 54th St.
Parma, OH 44129.
For more information, contact Becki Cooper, at info@avantgardeshows.com.
