the scoop

Well, what a journey, and  I’m sure it’s not going to end any time soon, since my doc just cleared me for another 2 years.  I started Via Swanky Cards in 2001 as a young mom, which was then called Via Greeting Cards.  I loved it “cos I could do my work and be at home with my little one.  After much marketing via word of mouth, samples, gifts and a little begging, with support from my family and friends Via Greeting Cards took off.  It would not make a crazy profit every year, but enough to say, “I made this myself, literally, with my own 2 hands”.

 ”ending up in ER at 3am”

After going for a few years my migraines were getting really bad, often, so I finally went to another Physical Therapist, Irene Rademeyer , OCS. PT (who is an angel sent to look after me).  After ending up in ER at 3am, thanks to my willing and kind dads help, for a migraine that was intolerable, they gave me some drug that had me flying before the nurse was done giving me the shot.  I could have done a whole ballet by myself.  I was feeling good, really good… oh my migraine, yeah that was gone.  I do believe that that is why they thought I came back another 2 times, once every month.  The migraines where just getting really intense.  My physical therapist then asked me to go see another Neurologist, Luis G Figueroa, M.D., to check out the harsh migraines that I had been getting for 19 odd years. 

Turns out I had a tumor (meningioma) the size of a small peach.  Wow, I thought, not bad wow, good wow.  I wasn’t mad, as in crazy, I felt relieved.  I did not cry or feel sad.  I did have something physically wrong, I didn’t call my mom to watch the kids every other day ‘cos I felt like a cartoon character was pounding a rubber mallet on my head for 18 hours, for nothing.  There was something there, a reason that this was happening.  Now I had to call my mom and tell her, the worry wart.  Anyhow, I called her from my car on the way back home, told her it’s nothing to worry about, it can be fixed.  3 Days later I had a 7 hour surgery with absolutely no complications.  The only 2 side-effects are that I sometimes struggle to find words and I sometimes forget things totally, especially recent things.  The words, well they have maybe 3 or more syllables.  I know they exist, I know what they mean, I even know what letters are in them, but I cannot put them in order.  So I cannot spit the word out and I appear like an air-hear to some.  There is a medical term for this but I cannot remember :), what it is called, no pun intended, for real.  Oh… there is one more, I loose my balance a little sometimes, and cannot quite walk a straight path, hope I never get pulled over, “cos me no can do”.  So I appear a little drunk at times (while I’m sober), at least to stranges, all of my friends know, I think.

“No, I do not make airport security metal detectors go off.”

I will say I have had 2 migraines in 6 years.   I am very thankful, and am proud of the scar sticking out of the bottom of my hairline (I have photographs, it looks like Friday 13th though, so we won’t go there).  This is when I had the op, they shaved a nice thick strip all the way up my head and have some hunky stitches that would make a crafter proud.  The small dent in my head shows that at least there is a physical reason why I cannot remember some things, and I keep telling my husband I am able to keep up with part of my brain missing (which it’s not, it was just sqwooshed on one side), with the folks that have all of their brain.  Not many people can say, “I’m a rocket scientist”, “Officer, I didn’t stop at the stop ‘cos I’m in a hurry my wife just had a baby” - (that’s a whole other story), or “I’ve had brain surgery”.  And no, I do not make airport security metal detectors go off, although that would have been major fun.

In 2006, I decided that I wanted bigger fish to fry and I shut down Via Greeting Cards to flip a house with my husband and my dad.  I  grew up with my parents work - retail, I was always doing my homework in the back storage room, or my dads office.  So I love being around my family for work.  I also worked with my husband in South Africa where we owned a Private Physical Therapy Clinic, I did all the admin and he treated patients.  This worked out perfectly.  So no, I was not reluctant to the venture with my husband and dad, in fact I was quite excited.

 ”All I could think about where the angry, loyal clients…”

It took us 12 months to fix up the house, it then sat on the market for 6 moths at which time we did not hae to do much except go on with our day jobs, but I did not have one anymore.  Telling my husband, Sean, how I need to do something, he answered back, “Start Via again”.   All I could think about where the angry, loyal clients that I turned away that first year after shutting it down.  He said that I had the know-how, I am a graphic artist, and that I also had all the equipment.

I ummed an ahhed and thought what the h…I designed new buiness cards, which is as pleasureable as a hairdresser giving herself the 3rd haircut for the day.  It was heaven to me, I didn’t realize how much I had missed it.  My husband gutted out the 3rd bedroom and made a studio/office for me.  When all was said and done I did some marketing which worked well and Via Greeting Cards which is now Via Swanky Cards is well on its way.

After 1 year of custom work I got that same feeling again, I need to make more income, and something that is not based on how much a pair of hands can accomplish in a day.  So I decided to go retail.  I incorporated a company in early 2008 called “tip-top living”, which has sister companies, Via Swanky Cards, Tzourou ‘teez (my maiden name, yes it’s Greek) and Living Large.  I went to local friend, Brian and Raffi Darrow who own a web-design company R-Design and here we are.  They did a great job, I absolutely love my site, it’s a little wacky, but just a little.  99% of the artistic photographs where taken by my good friend, marketing wiz, writer and may I once again say, photographer,Caryn Rightmigher.  I treated myself and bought a Mini Cooper and had a wrap put on the car by Big Fish Co., it came out amazing.  You cannot miss it driving around town if you wanted to, it’s bright orange.  Lighting Print, did a great job facilitating my requests for the notecards and wrapping paper.  Leonard now you can say, “We do wrapping paper.”  I have given my husband some ulcers, that is with an “s”, since I have maxed out all of our credit cards, but I am so ready for this.   Fun, great items brought together in one place for you and I to enjoy.  Anyhow, I sort of feel that my husband brought this on himself, since he did say, “Start Via again”.

 written by Vana Shipton