Not a 'small world after all'

The sky's the limit for business partners

By Sue Odegard

Think about the things that really mean something to you - maybe a postcard from a special vacation, a family photograph, a good luck charm.

Do you like ballet slippers, teddy bears, rainbows or angels? Are you a "Three Stooges" fanatic, a hunting enthusiast or a Green Bay Packers fan?

Imagine that you could take that symbol and have it permanently applied to a jacket, hat, T-shirt, quilt, towel, plaque, trophy or bag. Thanks to two local women, now you can.

Last July, Mary Sticht and Liz Ohlsen combined their talents to start Imaging World LLC, based in their homes. They professionally embroider hats, coats, shirts, bags, blankets and towels, do silk screening on uniforms and team apparel and etch glassware, plaques and trophies.

Using heat transfers, stamps and other equipment they can create one-of-a-kind decals, banners, magnetic signs, name badges, window decals and bumper stickers. They also embroider and silk screen images on dance tights, pageant sashes, boxer shorts, gloves, headbands and jewelry.

"Some of our customers have been in tears they've been so pleased with the results," Sticht said. "That's a pretty clear signal we've done something right."

Sticht said some of the items - like a quilt made from family photos or special designs created by children - make a special keepsake for people who receive them.

"People bring in their ideas and artifacts and come away with a lasting impression," Ohlsen said.

Sticht and Ohlsen work with vendors so their customers can choose in-stock products or bring in their own items to be embossed, etched or silk screened.

"We work on anything printable," Ohlsen said. "That includes aprons, cloth covers for yearbooks, or an endless variety of products. We have 5,000 designs for people to choose from, but original ideas are great, too. The challenge is pulling out those ideas and making a concrete design from them. It might take awhile, but eventually, we'll get it to work."

Competitive pricing is a goal as well.

"We want to make things as affordable as possible," Ohlsen said. "We will do small or large orders. That single $7 shirt is just as important to us as a $7,000 order."

Ohlsen lives in the town of Troy with her husband, Hal, and children. A native of Prairie du Chien, she graduated from high school there in 1982. She earned a bachelor's degree in small business management from UW-La Crosse. From 1986-1989 she managed NCO and officer's clubs in Aunesback, Germany. For the past several years she has operated a day care business from her home at 31 Sunview Dr. She and her neighbor, Lori Moore, opened a sewing, alterations, knitting and mending business - "Whatever Clothing by L & L" - in 1998.

Sticht grew up in the Plum City, Maiden Rock area. She has been an Emergency Medical Technician for the past 14 years, serving on both the River Falls Area Ambulance Service and St. Croix Meadows EMT crews. From 1985-1993 she served as executive director for the River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and is a former business owner in River Falls. She lives at N7809 920th St. in rural River Falls.

In preparation for starting up Imaging World LLC, Sticht and Ohlsen took classes to learn how to operate the complicated equipment they purchased, in part, through a loan provided by the Pierce County Economic Development Corp. A millennium press silk screening machine allows up to six colors to be processed at a time. A sophisticated embroidery machine can tackle four projects at once.

Ohlsen said she has mastered an intricate tackle twill method that can create realistic logos with more than 70,000 stitches in them.

"Artwork is something that everybody loves," Ohlsen said. "This is a delightful way to preserve what is important to people. This might sound like a pipe dream, but I hope to hand this business down from generation to generation."

The women have a growing list of clients including: the El Paso Marching Band, the Riversides Restaurant in Hudson, Rodli, Beskar, Boles and Krueger law firm, the city of River Falls, Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services, Ironwood Design Landscaping Contractors, and Greenskeepers lawn service.

They are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends and evenings by appointment. For more information, call 425-2864 or 425-9427. They can also be reached by fax at 425-2852 or by e-mail at imagingworld@ameriga.net