Entrepreneur: 
“At age 18, Shawn Nelson was watching TV on the couch when he decided “a huge beanbag thing” might be more comfortable. He bought 14 yards of vinyl, cut it into a baseball shape, and spent three weeks filling it with anything soft he could find. The finished LoveSac was 7 feet wide, and everyone […]

NewsDurhamRegion.com:
An art therapist is showing new mothers a baby doesn’t have to be the only new creation they welcome into the world.
Susanne Watson-Bongard offers art and wellness programs for all ages with her company, Art and Soul Express.
The studio is home-based with a focus on new and expectant mothers they can also give birth to […]

CrainsNewYork: 
A new Web site business start-up hopes to tap into the $63 billion luxury retail market by offering steep discounts on designer labels.
The site, Gilt, sells items from one designer at a time for about 24 to 36 hours or until items are sold out. Merchandise on the site is marked down by 50% to 70%. The site […]

BusinessWeek.com:
Sara Blakely had been selling fax machines and office copiers door-to-door for seven years when she had an idea for a clothing line that would transform her from an employee into a successful entrepreneur. In a moment of inspiration, Blakely, frustrated with her “unsightly panty lines,” cut the feet off a pair of panty hose […]

Business.mainetoday.com:
Whether it’s applying solid color to a chair featuring intricately- turned legs or painting a scene on a side table, Phyllis Giordano’s intent is to redefine the character of a piece of furniture, rather than conceal it.
As an artist, designer and owner of the York business Painted Treasurers, Giordano works with antique, vintage and other […]

OregonLive:
Nicole Carlon, an interior designer, and Mary Lothman, a former midwife, have for years relied on their ability to recycle goods to decorate their own homes.
The pair sell shabby chic furniture, antique jewelry, original paintings, yard art and clothing — most of which had seemingly neared the end of their lives in junk drawers, garage […]

LATimes.com:
Lime-colored bubbles, loopy red swirls and chocolate-brown stripes jazz up the baby blankets, place mats, aprons and laptop bags created by Robyn Murgio of Murge Designs Inc. in Los Angeles.
Her modern sensibility has tapped into the growing demand for stylish, functional goods with a pop twist, attracting retailers such as Anthropologie and Barneys Japan. Her […]