Occasionally Made

Only Occasionally do you run across a woman who is willing to risk it all to follow her passion. Tracee Martin, former advertising executive turned girly-girl has taken that risk - TWICE. Twenty years ago, she was a widowed teenage mother struggling to make ends meet. Three college degrees later, she enjoyed riding on corporate jets and earning a fat-cat salary as director of sales and marketing for a major media company. After a few years of this exciting lifestyle, Tracee decided to leave her plush corporate job and follow her entrepreneurial spirit. In 2003, this single mom opened her well-known Richmond, VA boutique, Occasionally. The boutique soon became the go-to place for personalized gifts and fabulous accessories. Tracee quickly recognized a growing demand for girly giftable products and decided to make them herself - while also creating a new wholesale company - Occasionally Made. The mission of Occasionally Made is to design classic giftware with a trendy twist. And most importantly, OM products are developed with the needs and wants of retailers AND their customers in mind. Perfect packaging, price points and programs are characteristics of which they are most proud. Occasionally Made premiered at AmericasMart in January 2008 where their elegant damask monogram mugs quickly became the talk of the show {and were a best seller for several seasons}. Just a few years later, in July 2010, they launched their wildly popular OMU {University} collection designed for ?fans who love fashion as much as football?. This line includes fashion and tailgating accessories available in 24 team color combinations. Martin attributes her amazing success to her expertise as a retailer (and some totally cute designs, of course). "I sell my own product. Not just on the wholesale level, but in my shop to my customers, as well. I hear their feedback and listen to what they want. This information allows me to develop an amazing product, as well as convenient ordering and operational procedures." With products available in over 4,000 retail locations nationwide, a beautiful showroom in Atlanta and four full-time employees, the future is looking totally fabulous for Tracee and her team.