OCTOBER 27-NOVEMBER 2, 2006           PHILADELPHIA 100           PHILADELPHIA BUSINESS JOURNAL           B9

Interior designer turns a hobby into a household name
NO. 52 Devine Designs Inc.

NATALIE KOSTELNI
STAFF WRITER

As Eileen Devine described it, being creative and running own interior decorating business -- Devine Designs Inc. -- is in her blood.

Devine's great-grandmother was a fashion designer and her mother, who she described as "very forward thinking," was artistic. Her mother was doing faux finishes before it became trendy. Her father ran a decorative painting business and the entrepreneurial spirit was a constant while she was growing up in Malvern.

Devine began her design business, which was initially more of a hobby, 10 years ago in her home. This was after she had spent years doing interior design and fit-outs for corporate clients for their offices and headquarters. The corporate world fostered her interest in design work, but it wasn't where she wanted to stay, and she turned her focus toward residential projects. She honed her skills while earning a degree from Moore College of Art & Design, building on the business degree she already had from Loyola College in Baltimore.

Devine's ambitions were finally taking shape. Her roster of clients began to expand as word of her work spread. Devine became squeezed for space and her home just wasn't cutting it as business took off. Devine decided to set up shop in a small office on Lancaster Avenue in Wayne.

"It's an absolute leap of faith," she said about taking the business out of the security of her home. "You establish a stainless steel gut, and you make it work."

So far, it has worked -- and worked so well that Devine became ready to take on the next big challenge in developing her business: Write a business plan. She turned to Wharton Small Business Development Center for help.