The View From My Corner

I’m blessed (and privileged) to lead The Dolphin Studio, the company that my parents founded in 1970.  My work focuses on creating a business path that supports me and my co-workers while nurturing our strong company foundation.  (That is me on the right with my sister, Sofia and niece, Lily)

While I really love my job, this has not always been my career. 

As a19 year old MassArt student, I designed and made a line of stuffed animals from thrifted wool sweaters and sold them to help with my bills.  Those little cuties, called Ragamuffins, were the start of my textile recycling business that took me on some pretty wild adventures for over 30 years.  From that beginning in my college apartment to employing a team of 40 and supplying 350+ retail venues with recycled textile blankets, rugs, clothing and accessories it was never boring.

As the pandemic was winding down, The Dolphin Studio was winding UP with sales doubling in just a couple years. 

I was down to running just two businesses (The Dolphin Studio and Crispina Designs) from three a couple years prior.  The unloading and focus of that transition inspired me to keep unloading and focusing.

Crispina Designs' business practice and design sense were inspired by making money from trash and inspiring a reduction in clothing waste in the process.  In today’s world, thrift/vintage clothes are no longer seen as repulsive, dirty, and shameful ~ OR… if you can believe - garbage. Scores of designers and manufacturers are using discarded clothing and deadstock as raw material.

Of course, there is a whole lot of trash in the second hand clothing market.  In 2025, a solid two-thirds of clothing manufactured worldwide was polyester… Fast fashion designed to be worn once or twice and thrown away..  Such heresy to those of us focused on responsible consumption - AND imho polyester lacks quality and the integrity needed to be reworked.

It's become clear that harnessing textile waste is not going to save us from ourselves and heal the ills of the world - as it appeared to my 19 year old self.  With the current spiraling world situation provoked by the United States government's mal-intent, a focused promotion of kindness, inclusion, and connection seems most helpful.

Fall 2024 offered the perfect alignment of my desire to slow the fuck down, feel a sense of accomplishment and create a nurturing lifestyle pushed me to focus my career on our family business - The Dolphin Studio.

I was tired of fighting and preaching. I could see that living well in good conscience while bringing joy and connection to the world was a great option.  Sounds cheesy, I know, but customers often share stories of the joy and connection they find in The Dolphin Studio and that is incredible - a valuable blessing that we are honored by.

Check back here for more about my journey, what I am up to and how, together, we can make the world a better place with kindness, inclusion, and connection with enough for all.