AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
Almost a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, many small businesses were struggling and some were forced to close their doors. Though it may be difficult to imagine anyone wanting to risk starting a new business, two were launched during October.
j.lolly
Friends Tammi Molavi and Michelle Hickman started the first – an online business called j.lolly that creates beautiful table settings for at-home entertaining that customers can “rent”. They offer complete tablescapes for gatherings of from two to 24 diners and guarantee no-contact delivery and pick-up.
The partners have created several different tablescapes to choose from, the most popular of which has been “All Out Autumn” pictured here. Each place setting includes a muted green charger, round white china dinner plate, squared salad plate in the same hue, an antique butter pat plate, cloth napkin in napkin ring, and a copper mug. Special touches include a lovely bouquet of sunflowers in a white mason jar.
Occupying the far end of the table are selections of tarts and cookies and appetizers from a Severna Park catering company Molavi and Hickman have teamed with called April’s Table which can supply a sumptuous take-out menu if requested.
The lovely tarts and cookies were from April’s Table in Severna Park………… 
…….as were the delicious looking appetizers,
Hickman explained that the idea for their company was generated by their common interests and the fact that they’d long wanted to do something together. Having met volunteering for a Severna Park Middle School drama department show their kids were in and further bonded as “costume moms” for Severna Park High’s Rock ‘N Roll Revivals, they found they both had a passion for party and event planning and a penchant for collecting china, glassware, linens and decorative items.
Restricted to their homes with time on their hands during the COVID-19 lock down, the pair tackled housekeeping chores and rediscovered treasures from their collections.
“During our daily phone calls, we’d detail what we came across – like my collection of antique butter pat plates and Michelle’s rustic candle holders,” Molavi said. “We were wondering how we could put these lovely pieces to use when we came up with the idea of renting out ready-to-use table settings.”
They realized that, even during a pandemic, people need to celebrate the little things. Providing an easy, no-contact way of entertaining could be a valuable service.
By pooling their collections, they had enough items to create six different tablescapes. “All Out Autumn” came together easily.
Special touches like Molavi’s individual butter pat plates were easy to come up but it was more challenging finding napkin rings in the shape of leaves. Calling on their creativity, they added cleverly designed background decorations.
j.lolly’s equally lovely tablescapes include “Bespoke Blush”, a positively “pretty in pink” setting, while “Envious Emerald” mixes dark green elements with bright whites that even St. Patrick would admire. “Woodsy Chic” combines sky blue china and blue and white checked napkins with lush greenery. “Amazing Greys” impresses with subtle elegance that relies on graphic patterns in china and linens. “Coastal Cool” captures a waterside vibe with vintage sea glass and matching blue table linens. All six tablescapes come with easy to follow set-up directions.
According to Hickman, the name j.lolly was chosen for the business to commemorate the beginning of their friendship when their children were in the show “Schoolhouse Rock”.
“The ‘J’ is for Tammi’s daughter Josee who played Interplanet Janet and ‘Lolly’ is for the song my son Sam sang during his first musical appearance.”
Both women have solid experience behind them. Molavi owned the Paper Trousseau in Olde Severna Park which handled wedding and event invitations and related materials while Hickman, a former teacher, had a home staging business. An added advantage is having Josee, now a teacher at St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School, as their unofficial social media advisor.
The partners say they’re starting small while people are still sticking close to home. But they believe the possibilities for expansion once the virus runs its course are endless. There are excellent opportunities to work with local businesses like April’s Table. Prospective customers run the gamut from young couples without storage space for china or glassware to busy professionals pressed for time… or older adults looking for an easier way to host a holiday family dinner.
A website is in the works which will be www.jlolly.com. Meantime, visit @setbyjlolly on Instagram or https://www.facebook.com/setbyjlolly on Facebook.
Atalie Day Photography
The second business to launch in October was Atalie Day Payne’s Atalie Day Photography.
Well-known to area residents as Atalie Day Brown through her work for The Capital and Maryland Gazette newspapers, Payne first submitted images as a free-lance photographer in 2012, became the paper’s West County columnist in 2013, and took over as the Around Pasadena columnist in 2015.
She spent five years covering Pasadena before leaving The Capital in April of 2019 when son Jasper was born. Even while taking a breather to spend more time with Jasper, daughter Elise, 4, and son Ezra, 15, she missed the artistic outlet that working for the newspaper provided.
“I’m someone who loves art. I enjoy drawing and painting and I have a degree in photojournalism from George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts and Design” said Payne. “I’ve always loved photography since my dad brought me my first film camera when I was 14 and I learned darkroom techniques and development. It’s part of me.”
Not being able to exercise her artistic muscle proved difficult for Payne and she’d long nurtured a dream of being a portrait photographer. With Jasper reaching the toddler stage and family members eager to babysit, she found she now had enough time to pursue that dream.
As a first step, she sought a mentor-ship with a photographer she greatly admired and had previously hired for Payne family portraits. The two met at length and discussed portraiture processes and the ways in which taking portraits is a unique discipline.
“Portraiture and photojournalism are quite different,” Payne said. “As a photojournalist, you move yourself wherever necessary to capture the action.. The posing aspect of a photo shoot was new to me.”
Building on skills she gained through her newspaper work and through a business she and husband Jared had recreating tintypes, she moved ahead and sought her first clients.
The budding portraitist has already completed a variety of Atlaie Day Photography assignments. Thus far, all have taken place in the natural settings she prefers. She’s done maternity photo shoots, taken engagement pictures and most recently photographed a wedding. But she’s mostly done family portraits which she seems to have a real knack for. She is particularly good working with children.
A recent photo session took place on the Shiloh family’s three acre working farm in Pasadena. Photographing C. J. and Jim Shiloh and their 3-year-old daughter Carol Sue against a backdrop of newly mowed fields and autumn leaves was a joy. The fact that chickens and sheep appeared from time to time simply added to the fun.
Carol Sue was happiness personified. She considered the photo shoot more like play than posing.
Choosing locations is always a challenge for Payne, even more so if she has acres at her disposal. And she likes to schedule her sessions for evening during the “golden hour” when the light is magical and is something that can’t be replicated indoors. She aims for a mix of images. Some shots are posed and formal. For others, she uses her photojournalist background to capture a family’s interactions, be it playing with a child, sharing a laugh or simply enjoying each other’s company.
Processing the digital photos she takes involves editing using an Adobe Lightroom software program, sometimes employing filters. Then she uploads them for the clients. At that point, clients can take the photos to whichever printer they prefer. There are now companies that specialize in portrait photographs that Payne can recommend.
The most challenging part of starting her portrait photography business has, thus far, been attracting clients. As word of Payne’s new endeavor spread, several families contacted her including friends from her church. But other clients discovered her through social media. She’s in the process of building an Atalie Day Photography website. For now, you can check out her work and contact her through her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Atalie-Day-Photography.
Doing sessions for several happy couples who discovered Atalie Day Photography through Facebook was both enjoyable and inspiring. She particularly liked working with newly engaged couple Trenda and Will Davidson.
“The love they felt for each other was palpable during the entire session and I know they’ll be very happy together,” she said.
To further her experience and exposure, Payne’s arranged to work as a second shooter for a friend who is a well established wedding photographer.
And, she’s already put plans for her next step into action.
“I’ll be hosting Christmas photo sessions November 21, 28 and Dec 5 from 2-4 p.m. The cost is $100 but 25% of my profit will be donated to a good cause, like historic Hancock’s Resolution farm in Pasadena.,” she said.
To that end, she recently purchased a new full frame high quality digital camera. She also bought a vintage velveteen sofa for those holiday mini-sessions – a whimsical prop that will add to the fun.
She’ll be doing the mini-sessions in half hour blocks by appointment. They may be arranged through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Atalie-Day-Photography or by calling 301-697-1307.
