Crystal Bowen is one of those people who love going to work.
“I feel like I’m doing what I want. It’s not a job really to me, because I really enjoy it,” said the owner of Express Yourself Signs. “I love coming to work. When you get to do what you love to do, it’s really a blessing. It’s a lot more fun than insurance.”
That is where she was about 15 years ago before she made the leap of faith into the sign business. “I felt stifled working within certain parameters,” she said.
Bowen says for years she had been suppressing her creative side. “I always liked drawing and design in high school.”
She decided to make the change as her daughter grew because she wanted to spend more time with her.
Bowen’s own childhood was a bit bumpy. Her mother passed away when she was seven, awaiting her second kidney transplant.
“What I learned from growing up: I learned how to be a good mom. I learned the good and bad things about parenthood and I think it made me a better mother.”
She also learned to be grateful. “I learned to work hard and be thankful for everything I have and every ability I have and not take it for granted.”
Through the years, she has learned from her father, especially since she has a child of her own. “I watched my dad with his struggles and how he handles things.”
Sign making has been a family tradition, starting with her great grandfather, who established a business in 1946. Her father started his own sign business in Colorado.
“He started with nothing. Now he has a successful billboard business in several states.”
Then, through the years, more than 10 family members went into the business. They are all independent, so none of them are associated with each other. Still, entering the sign business was nothing Bowen had considered doing.
While she was in school, she wanted to be a journalist, but her plans changed when she married right out of high school. She has been married for 33 years. The couple has a daughter and three grandchildren.
“You get married and your hopes and dreams are transferred to your child,” she said.
She is extremely close to her daughter, physically and emotionally, as she was the donor for Bowen’s second kidney transplant in 2008, she said.
The family moved to Phoenix from Colorado when was 21. Her husband got a job at an auto glass company. He advanced and is still working for the company.
Bowen is proud to welcome people into her business. She uses all the latest equipment, including computer graphics, vinyl cutter, digital printing and laminating.
“The atmosphere is not stressful. I help them. I don’t sell them what they don’t need. Some people don’t know what they want or need,” she said. “I give personal attention to every customer. I sit down with them during a design appointment so they have input [into] their design.”
Bowen rewards her return customers with a loyalty program. She likes to think of Express Yourself Signs as a one-stop shop. It offers signs and banners, graphic design, vehicle and boat wraps, signs of all kinds, business cards and brochures, promotion products like pens, notepads and key chains, and custom designs for golf carts and vehicles.
“If they come and they don’t see what they want, it doesn’t mean I can’t do it,” she said. And she adds that you don’t have to own a business to use her services. For example, she can create a special banner for a family event or birthday.
“If they come in and give us a try, they will be so glad they did. People say, ‘I didn’t know you do that. I am surprised about all the things you can do.’” FBN
Express Yourself Signs is located at 2230 E. Cedar Ave, Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, call 928-526-0877 or visit their website at eyesigns.net.
By Patty McCormac
Flagstaff Business News
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