Popular Local Entrepreneur Receiving National Attention

Windham entrepreneur Debby Yennaco refers to July 15, 2006 as the date when “it all came crashing to a halt” overnight.

She and her husband Gal were full-time real estate investors, suddenly paying $10,000 in mortgages for five houses.

“It just came at us so fast,” said Yennaco.

It was the peak of the increase in housing prices – the bursting of the United States real estate bubble – that left Yennaco sitting at home one night with her son Aidan, wondering about the future and what her and her husband were going to do to pay their own mortgage.

Much like Steve Jobs had done in his parents’ Palo Alto garage three decades before, Yennaco clicked on an idea that would change everything.

Her “Apple” moment was Aidan drawing his name on a piece of paper.  

Yennaco quickly got to work on her computer.

“I thought that by shaping all the letters of (my son’s) name into a puzzle-like dinosaur would be a fun way to create his own personalized identity or ‘Namimal’ logo,” said Yennaco. “ Seeing his delightful reaction as he discovered his name hidden within his logo, I instantly knew a huge idea was born. My logo designs allow me to personalize children apparel and accessories while not having the child’s name advertised to the world, hence being ‘Stranger Safe.’”   

After that, it was just a matter of getting her husband on board.

“I called my husband into the living room and I said ‘look at my screen,’” said Yennaco. “I’m like ‘that’s our ticket out of where we’re at right now. Just trust me.’”

What filled the screen was a design unlike any other, and Yennaco knew it. Years of working as the creative brain behind hundreds of massive advertising projects in major cities helped her to know it.

“I think we have a hot idea right now, just follow suit,” Yennaco said to her husband.

Within 24 hours and with her husband’s full support, Artsy Names by Debby Yennaco, or as it was first called: lit’l desi9s Fashions LLC, was born.

The designs were simple but overwhelmingly unique.

“The best part about my Namimal logos is that any name, no matter the spelling, can be created or shaped into whimsical, puzzle-like fairies, pirates, trucks, elephants, sport players and much more,” said Yennaco.

Aidan’s was a dinosaur, because as Yennaco said, he LOVED dinosaurs.

“I thought it would be really great to take his name and create this puzzle-like dinosaur for him,” said Yennaco.

After she learned through careful research that there was nothing else like her idea that already existed, she decided that she had to “get out and tell the world” about her designs.

Operations fully shifted into gear a week later with her husband purchasing a screen printer. He watched a series of six CD’s learning how to screen print, and the first shirts were made in the family basement.

From there, Yennaco’s idea grew like any other. Word of mouth turned into sales. Later came positive reviews from customers buying her product as gifts.

“I get so many of our customers (who) will email me back to thank me and tell me the response they got from the gift,” said Yennaco.

Finally, after a good amount of media exposure, she was confident enough to take Artsy Names to its next step.

Fast forward to 2008, and Yennaco was with her husband in Boston, selling to a demographic of art-loving product seekers in the Prudential Center (later moving to Faneuil Hall). She referred to her mall kiosk as “focus grouping,” a carry-over strategy from her advertising days.

It was her way of finding out what would sell, and what people thought about her homegrown designs.

“We were able to operate full high-tech right off our kiosk,” said Yennaco. “Customers walking by – they were flying to Japan –  they wanted a unique personalized gift to take with them.”

Her husband would call her up from home asking for a specific design, and within 15 to 20 minutes that image would be on a shirt, ready for that customer to take back home to the “Land of the Rising Sun.”

That process was featured in video on Boston Chronicle, opening her business up to a wider amount of curious eyes..

But it wasn’t just the Boston location, and her second spot in Albany, N.Y., that helped Yennaco spread the word.

With the rise of social media and budding online business exposure, Yennaco was and still is sending out Internet orders every day. Suddenly, the do-it-yourself operation in the family basement was a shipment to Hawaii here, a package to Washington there.  Every day, products with one of her 6,000 customized designs are being shipped, with the database constantly growing.

Yennaco also tackles home parties, raking in hundreds of dollars at every event she goes to.

It’s solving a (gift-buying) problem,” said Yennaco.

Moms who need to get multiple gifts a year for children, friends and neighbors – they now have one universal and creative option.

Yennaco also said that her products meet one needs that is important to her– they are eco-friendly.

The material is 100 percent organic cotton, bamboo and recycled materials.

Yennaco also stressed that the stranger safe element is the only one of its kind. While kids love finding their names in the puzzle-like creatures, parents and grandparents also know that their children are building a sense of creativity while remaining safe and secure.

But it’s not just shirts. Yennaco’s entrepreneurial pursuit has grown into duffel bags, pillowcases, hand towels, mugs and canvas totes among many other options. She has even developed a graffiti design for older audiences.

This year, Artsy Names has another pair of achievements to hang its hat on as a company. Child Style and Green Child Magazines, two national publications with extensive readerships, have each featured Yennaco’s company in holiday-related spreads.

It’s a step toward Yennaco’s goal of having a global presence in two years, which will require a hired staff, a financial advisor and most importantly – products that can be purchased by anyone.

“I want to be a household name.” “I want any child of any income bracket to be able to afford our products.

Yennaco and her husband are back to being full-time real estate investors, with several projects at this time. On top of that, she also calls Arsty Names another full-time job.

Click here to visit the Artsy Names website and check out all of the available products and over 6,000 designs.

You can also visit the Artsy Names Facebook page by clicking here. 

Debby Yennaco can be contacted by phone at (603)-394-2005