| Miller Family | Annual Family Portraits | Lake Decatur |

I’m thrilled today to share with you another family who I’m honored to say has been with me for a number of years for their family portraits. We started when we were still over in our small west end home where we created family portraits when Grant was just a tiny little thing.

This year I’m excited to say we had a much better day for photos compared to last year’s very cold and extremely windy session day where it was all any of us could do to keep our teeth from chattering.

And for something a bit different this year we held our Limited Edition session date at Nelson Park / Lake Decatur and as these guys are boaters we decided to showcase the lakeside more than the park. Even though our locations are preset for Limited Edition sessions I love that our town has such variety that we can even customize these sessions in small ways by utilizing different areas of the same parks. After all, these are their family portraits and I definitely don’t want them looking just like someone else’s. (Check out Lisa & A.J.’s session just minutes before the Miller’s and the unique looks we created for them at the exact same location!)

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One of my favorite things about the Miller’s sessions is we always create a brand new Christmas card design for them, which gets a little tricky when you’ve designed them for multiple years but check out what we created for them this year.

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| Warrensburg-Latham High School Winter Dance Photos |

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Elizabeth of Punch & Sizzle did an amazing job AGAIN painting the heart for the Warrensburg-Latham High School winter formal dance and the ‘snowy’ backdrop was quite fitting as this dance was snowed out once and then called early due to freezing rain the second time! Despite the crazy weather we had a great time creating images for the WLHS students and were so proud to have one of our very own seniors, McKinzy be crowned queen (Congratulations McKinzy!!!).

As I gear up for not one but TWO proms in the next month I thought it would be fun to take a look back at this last dance! I’m so excited to be working with WLHS and Decatur Christian School students to create their prom images. 🙂

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Fisher Family | Decatur IL Family Portraits | Sarah Jane

Love working with this gorgeous family! These poor guys were amazing on a VERY chilly day and we had a ton of laughs…. their ‘Hollywood’ fake laughs are unbeatable. I’m so excited to have the chance to work with them again for Lucas’s senior portraits. We just planned that session this week and it’s going to be MUCH warmer (whew).

I’m so honored to have had the chance to work with them and create these portraits and can’t wait to design something unique for them again very soon.

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| Decatur IL Small Business | SoundCheck Music Center|

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It’s time to feature yet another amazing small business right here in Decatur, IL: Sound Check Music! I was introduced to Sound Check a couple months ago when an assignment for Thrive Entertainment Guide called for me to get my hands on some music equipment. I posed the question to my facebook friends/fans to find out who they recommended and Sound Check and their staff received raving recommendations and I can see why. Everyone I encountered at Sound Check was helpful, polite, professional and inviting. I felt right at home and was very well taken care of and was honestly blown away by the selection they offer.

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The Details:  Bill Cunningham, Owners at SoundCheck Music Center | In Business: 25 Years

Hours: Monday – Friday 10:00-6:00, Saturday 10:00-5:00, Closed Sunday | Location: 1481 W King St, Decatur, IL 62552 Phone: (217) 422-4455

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Tell us about your business… What do you do? We offer Decatur area musicians a wide variety of services including sales, service, rentals & lessons. Our Showroom has a large selection of items including: Guitars (Electric & Classical), Drums, Amps, Keyboards, Digital Pianos, Band Instruments, Pro Audio & Video Recording Equipment, Software, Lighting, Sheet Music, & much more. Private lessons are our specialty with comfortable waiting areas for parents!

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What makes your business unique/special? We are family owned and care about each and every customer that comes through our doors. 

That care is absolutely felt when you walk through the doors at SoundCheck. Every time I walked in I was greeted with a smile, welcomed and helped promptly. They provided GREAT customer service even when I wasn’t purchasing a thing! 

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What item/service on your menu or in your shop do you just LOVE and think everyone needs? Keyboards!  We are the largest keyboard dealer for miles and we are a one-stop shop for musicians.   We teach, sell and care for the musicians of Central Illinois.

In what way have you gone above/beyond in the past for a customer?  As a store we have tried our best to always put our customers first.  This means making home visits for sales to making sure that a customer is happy with the service from SoundCheck.  I remember times some of our associates have come in after hours for customers so that they are able to buy a cable for a gig. 

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What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without? Why? We have a great relationship with some of the leading manufacturers in the industry but one of our favorites is Craig from the Music People.  He assists us day in and day out with a large list of different companies.  He is a great friend and a great mentor for us and we would not know where we would be without Craig.

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What other local business do you just LOVE? Why?  The Brass Horn in Downtown Decatur, we try to have the same mind set on customer service.

Introduce us to your STAFF… 

Bill Cunningham, Owner

Adam Cunningham, Bass Instructor/Sales Associate

Alex Kidd, Sales Associate

John Patrick, Sales Associate

Tyler Bethard, Sales Associate

Graig Statsitcky, Drum Instructor

Terry Ledbetter, Guitar Instructor/ Sales Associate

Gay McCoy, Voice/Piano Instructor

Kristi Crawford, Violin Instructor

Alex Manfredo, Commercial Voice

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What are you passionate about outside of your business? 

SoundCheck would not be successful if it was not for our extreme Christian beliefs.  We are a Christian store and many of our employees are passionate about a church in the central Illinois area.  

Describe your PERFECT day… 

My perfect day starts when a new musician comes in our store and decides to begin a new instrument.  This means taking lessons from one of our highly trained instructor and picking out the instrument of their dreams.  I love these days because it is a day where we have discovered a new customer and most importantly we found a new musician.  At SoundCheck we are developing our customers to be successful musicians.  This could range from playing on the big stage to learning to have fun and be a musician!

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SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS:  If you’d like to have your business featured on the SJP blog please visit the following link to download the information/questionnaire form which you can email back to mail@sjanephotography.com. We are now booking for 2014 features and showcase one business each month. Your feature includes FREE 20 minute location shoot by Sarah Jane Photography, blog and facebook feature and web images to use on your online spaces (facebook/website/etc).  Our business features are now also being published monthly at www.redecatur.com!

Download the information here:https://www.dropbox.com/s/urr7zdkh64szon7/MarketingBusinessFeatures.doc

| Decatur IL Small Business | The Secret Garden Florist |

It’s SMALL BUSINESS FEATURE time! This month, I’m so excited to bring you one of Decatur’s finest florists, The Secret Garden. Lori & Michael are so much fun and are really big supporters of growth and development in our area (which y’all know I love). That’s actually how I reconnected with these two in time to bring you their feature this month; we ran into each other at Millikin’s Micro Business Roundtable event last month and with the cold weather out I figured they would be the perfect business to feature in March so we can get a little reminder of the spring beauty that is just around the corner! Well, enough from me, let’s hear from Lori!

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DON’T MISS THIS DEAL JUST FOR SJP READERS: MENTION “SJP” FOR 10% OFF YOUR PURCHASE IN MARCH!

The Details:  Lori & Michael Barrett , Owners/Operators at The Secret Garden | In Business: 25 Years, Lori & Michael purchased the business in January 2010.

Hours: Monday – Thursday 8:30 – 5:00, Friday 8:30 – 6:00, Saturday 9:00 – 2:00, Closed Sunday | Location: 1215 E. Pershing Rd. | Phone: 217-875-9038

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Tell us about your business… What do you do? We make people smile! The Secret Garden is unique in its variety of gifts and offerings. We carry an array of Fresh Flowers, Permanent Botanicals, Green and Blooming Plants, Collectibles, Gifts, Balloons, Tasty Treats, and so much more. You never know what you will find when you come into the Secret Garden. We delivery all of the items we sell to Decatur and the surrounding areas.

Can I just stop to say I LOVE the first sentence of Lori’s reply ‘We make people smile!” She goes on to tell you how they do that, but their focus is truly to make you smile and what better business model is there?!? 

We are also a full service wedding and event florist. Offering full wedding set up, tear down, rental, and on trend designs. For brides on a budget we offer package deals that cover all of their floral needs but help with keeping the costs low. For the DIY bride we offer bulk flowers. We order, inspect, and process the flowers for the Bride. Then they pick up the flowers and create their own wedding flowers.

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the secret garden, decatur il florist, small businesses, small business owner, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography.com, sarah jane, sjp, small business feature, millikin small business, micro business network, mbn, micro business, millikin, flower arrangements, gift shop decatur il, central il florist, best florist, send flowers, flower delivery decatur il, florist, floral designWhat item or service on your menu or in your shop do you just LOVE and think everyone needs? Flowers of course! If everyone had flowers on their table in the morning or on their desk at work the world would be a happier place. You would not believe the power of a flower. It can comfort the grieving, give hope to the sick, fill a bride with joy, celebrate a moment in time, and make even the gloomiest of days bright.

“You would not believe the power of a flower.” – Lori

the secret garden, decatur il florist, small businesses, small business owner, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography.com, sarah jane, sjp, small business feature, millikin small business, micro business network, mbn, micro business, millikin, flower arrangements, gift shop decatur il, central il florist, best florist, send flowers, flower delivery decatur il, florist, floral designWhat is the coolest thing you’ve ever had a client do for you? Bring their friends! We are always honored when folks come in and show off our store. They walk around like a tour guide and tell their friends how much they love our stuff. It’s humbling knowing that people love what we do as much as we do.

Amen sister!  It really is an amazing feeling to have someone love your work as much as you do and love it enough to share it with friends and family. 

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What other local business do you just LOVE? Why? Oh wow, this is a tough one. We work with so many it would be impossible to decide. We have partnered with local bakers, photographers, dress shops, and so much more. We believe that supporting small business is the best way to give back to the community. (You all know I agree 100% with that!)

the secret garden, decatur il florist, small businesses, small business owner, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography.com, sarah jane, sjp, small business feature, millikin small business, micro business network, mbn, micro business, millikin, flower arrangements, gift shop decatur il, central il florist, best florist, send flowers, flower delivery decatur il, florist, floral designIntroduce us to your STAFF…
Carol ~ Shop manager and an Illinois Certified Professional Florist. Carol has worked at the shop for 15 years.

Sheryl ~ She is a Certified Balloonist and lead designer. Sheryl has worked at The Secret Garden for 20 years! Certified Balloonist?!?! My job is fun, but that sounds awesome! How on earth could you have a bad day as a certified balloonist?!? 

The Amy’s ~ Amy H ~ Amy calls herself “lead grunt” she works for major holidays and some Saturdays. She does it all, phone, delivery, and some designing.

Amy G – Our newest staff member – She loves to spread smiles by delivering flowers. She is in training for a sales position and may someday become a designer.

the secret garden, decatur il florist, small businesses, small business owner, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography.com, sarah jane, sjp, small business feature, millikin small business, micro business network, mbn, micro business, millikin, flower arrangements, gift shop decatur il, central il florist, best florist, send flowers, flower delivery decatur il, florist, floral designTell us about YOU… WHY did you choose to do what you do? Michael and I stumbled into this opportunity and fell in love with flowers. We enjoy working together and seeing our vision take shape.

When did you know you wanted to go into this business? We both worked for corporations in the past. In the evenings we would discuss our day and see the mistakes that big companies make. Not valuing their employees, poor planning, unrealistic goals. We always felt that if we went out on our own we could do things differently and become successful.

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Describe your PERFECT day… When you are surrounded by flowers it’s hard not to have good days just about every day. I think we will see a PERFECT day when we retire. We will be able to look back on our business, see the impact on other people’s lives, and know that we did what we set out to do… make people smile!

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You’ll also want to like The Secret Garden Page on Facebook where you can get in on some amazing deals like their $5 Fridays, Birthday celebrations and Name Days!

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SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS:  If you’d like to have your business featured on the SJP blog please visit the following link to download the information/questionnaire form which you can email back to mail@sjanephotography.com. We are now booking for 2014 features and showcase one business each month. Your feature includes FREE 20 minute location shoot by Sarah Jane Photography, blog and facebook feature and web images to use on your online spaces (facebook/website/etc).  Our business features are now also being published monthly at www.redecatur.com!

Download the information here:https://www.dropbox.com/s/urr7zdkh64szon7/MarketingBusinessFeatures.doc