Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Main
Hi Deborah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
This year I am celebrating 20 years in business. It’s hard to believe I’ve made it this far considering that when I started I was sick with a chronic debilitating disease, ME/CFS. And still am, as there is no cure. Also, I didn’t know how to sew and had no interior design or business background. I had always wanted to own my own business one day and with a new Masters degree, I thought I’d be consulting for non-profits. But life has a way of throwing curve balls at you when you least expect it. That happened in 1994 when I was struck down with ME/CFS. It was devastating. I had to give up my entire life as I knew it. I had to quit my job, was bedridden for 5 years, and needed to rest for the next 10. However, creativity found a way to emerge. One day while shopping for drapery fabric I had an artistic epiphany. An hour later I had designed a pillow with French ribbon. But the strangest thing was that I wasn’t really present during the process. To be honest, it was a little scary. Little did I know that that magical experience would ignite my passion to collect beautiful ribbon, vintage textiles, and vintage French trim to design one-of-a-kind decorative pillows. In 2004, while still sick but better, I spontaneously answered an “Open Call for Designers” at the local boutique The Garden Room and opened my business, Deborah Main Designs. The rest is history. I now work exclusively with homeowners and interior designers on custom orders and enjoy creating miniature holiday pillow ornaments. I also started a new direction in 2023. I am working with a licensing agent, YKD Associates, to secure a partnership to grow The Pillow Goddess brand nationally, and my newest original design, The UnZipped Pillow Collection.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but it’s been exciting and I’ve learned to face obstacles and challenges by being bold and taking risks. My biggest challenges were, and still are, my health and lack of business know-how. Most small businesses fail in the first 3 years, and I struggled for sure. But I decided right off the bat, that with a chronic disease, I needed to take it very slowly and let my business evolve organically. What was most important to me was to get better, to learn, grow, and enjoy the journey – the gift of this new lease on life. Creating pillows was making me happy, and with the support of my husband it was helping me heal. Eventually, as my health improved, I had to get outside of my home, by marketing my business, networking, and attending events. It was very challenging with my health and lack of confidence. I often thought of giving up. But I’m not a quitter and soon I thrived on the social interactions and found my footing. Marketing proved crucial to building an excellent reputation and growing my business. It was tough breaking into the art and home design industries, but I sought out many mentors along the way, exhibited at trade shows, and even tapped into the expertise offered by Austin’s Business Success Center. It takes a village and over time I built a huge support network of design professionals which has helped tremendously.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Creating pillows became my artistic way of expressing myself. It gave me joy and a sense of purpose in my life. I specialize in designing one-of-a-kind pillows – artisan statement pieces – for homeowners and interior designers to elevate their spaces. Because I had not been able to do anything for 15 years, playing with fabric and ribbon has been very therapeutic and helped me heal over time. I don’t think I could have done this without the support of my husband or the Austin creative community. My signature pillow is the Rococo Ribbon Collection. I love to mix different colors, patterns, and textures. Later, as my health improved and I secured Austin and Dallas stores and worked with interior designers, my designs evolved into the Redbrick Modern Collection, colorful vintage designer scarf pillows, holiday pillow ornaments, and more. As The Pillow Goddess, I’m known for bold color, mixing materials and textures in unexpected ways. I even incorporate vintage jewelry, chains, fur, and belts into some of my designs. My materials have a history and story behind them and I give them a new life by repurposing them into my designs. What sets my pillows apart from others is simple – there are no pillows like mine in the home decor market. They are different because of my unique point of view and ability to blend mixed materials together. They’re artisan-made, handcrafted with love, and one-of-a-kind. Fashion, coupled with sustainability, has always been important and inspiring to me. I consciously repurpose/upcycle vintage fabrics and cocktail dresses. I create thoroughly original designs like our newest collection, The Unzipped pillows. I’m proud that my pillows are American-made in Austin and that I’ve worked hard to build a high-quality brand and dependable reputation in the home decor industry. One story that really touches me is that a homeowner, who had bought a very elegant vintage designer scarf pillow, had been stressed after the birth of her baby, yet treated herself to one of my pillows. She had a meaningful ritual of making her bed, placing the pillow in the center of the bed, and taking it off at night. This ritual brought her joy and hearing this story made me feel like what I do is important. What I’m most proud of is that I persevered. That even with a chronic disease, I’ve been able to bring beauty and joy to my clients’ homes and lives for 20 years. While disabled myself, I still have been able to contribute to society and make the world a more beautiful place one pillow at a time.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I have two favorite memories that have shaped who I am. With my mother, it was sitting on her bed while she told me the magical stories behind each of her jewelry pieces kept in the locked drawer of her bureau. And mostly how that instilled in me an appreciation for beautiful things passed down from the “Main” side of our family. (I even have a treasured brooch from my Great Aunt Adelaide Main that inspired me to incorporate vintage jewelry into my pillows.) With my father and stepmother, my favorite memory was traveling to six countries in Europe as a family when I was 13. That trip forged my love for travel, art, architecture, design, and turned it into a deep desire to seek endless inspiration.
Pricing:
- $95 ornament pillows
- $300 modern pillows
- $500 on up for artisan pillows
- Custom orders start at $150
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.deborahmaindesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepillowgoddess
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deborahmaindesigns
Image Credits
Gregg Cestaro, Deborah Main, Cason Latimer, and Michael Samaripa
