Woman writes to change the world around her

For Taylor Toms, a childhood habit has turned into a passion and a business.

“I’ve always doodled, and I’ve always had a fascination with fonts. I’ve always been artsy; I’ve always loved handmade stuff. The thing is, I’m always my worst critic, and people have told me I have good handwriting, but I never saw it. There’s so much about it that’s popular right now that helps me see how I could use my handwriting,” she said.

Her skills with script led her to start All Things Taylor-Made, her custom calligraphy and signage business in Shreveport. All Things Taylor-Made offers everything from chalkboard signs, posters, wedding and event signage and details, as well as calligraphy services for invitations.

Toms began her business a little over a year ago, and her customer base has steadily grown. “I got married a year and a half ago, and I did none of this for my wedding, which is crazy! Last spring I took a calligraphy class because it was popular, and I’ve done a lot of this for my friends,” she said. “I love party planning; I love all the details of everything, but I had just done it for free. The class I took was old school, dip into the ink and all that, and I just fell in love with it and was kind of a natural at it, so I was, like, why not?” Toms said. “It’s just kind of taken off, and I’ve had great responses. It’s kind of broad what I do right now, but most of it is lettering for chalking, and it’s still evolving. I’m kind of in awe of it, and it’s exciting!” Toms has created anything from signs for weddings to window designs for businesses. “I did some windows for Ivy and Stone (on Benton Road in Bossier City) last Christmas. I fell in love with that. It was on a bigger scale, and writing on glass was so smooth. I had some people contact me recently who have a chalkboard wall in their home, and they want me to come in and do something more permanent.” She also has gained plenty of business from clients who would like to recreate designs they have found on the website Pinterest.

“[I’ve done] a lot of gift items such as quotes to frame. There’s a lot of requests from things people have seen on Pinterest, which I’m happy to do, but I would love to design my own things,” she said.

Recently, Toms completed a collaboration with her supportive husband, Zach. “My husband is a woodworker, and he has helped me tremendously as well with the signs. I can tell him, ‘I want a sign this shape,’ and he can do it. We also just did a project together where he built a stand-up herb garden out of a pallet, and I chalkboarded it and then wrote mint, rosemary, etc. on it. It was our first collaboration. I posted pictures on Facebook and Instagram, and now there’s a waitlist for them since we don’t have a shop or anything,” she said.

The signage/calligraphy niche has grown, and there’s many different ways it can be applied to different details. “There’s a whole side of it as well that I love that’s more graphic design. You can take your calligraphy or something you’ve written and turn it into an image, and you can put on bags or mugs; the possibilities are endless. I think there’s a trend, so it’s helped me boost off quickly,” she said.

Toms loves the business, and her enthusiasm for the fine points of her craft is infectious. “My favorite thing about it is more of the party planning and the details of it. I love handmade lettering for signage for a party and doing calligraphy for what’s on the table or a drink station and labeling each item. I love all the little details that everyone says, ‘Who thought to do that?’” she said. “I like a custom detail to a gift, detail of a store on a window. You don’t have to do that; it’s something extra you’ve done. I like to consider myself a details person; you can do the basics, but the attention to detail or a recurring theme through an event that’s all handmade. You don’t have to spend a ton of money for it to look good. People ask how’s your business, and I’ll tell them it’s great, and then they ask me what I do, and I tell them anything! I’ll try anything!”

See more:

To see Tom’s work or place an order, go to the All Things Taylor-Made Facebook or Instagram pages, or email Toms directly at taylorctoms@gmail.com.