CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 19 "I like guerrilla marketing." Cobb's artistic side also goes back to her childhood. "I was always one of those craing kids," she says. She made friendship bracelets and took up crocheting in the third grade. Aer high school, she wondered how to turn the arts into a career. She decided on a graphic design major in college. "I'm not a fine-arts person," she says. Her father is skilled at construction and built a counter and shelving for the shop. He also gives her advice on building wooden props and backdrops for their outdoor party scenes. Meraki recently has added a line of greeting cards that are designed by Cobb. ey include Christmas, birthday and thank-you cards, all with fresh designs and clever sayings, like: • "It's beginning to cost a lot like Christmas." • "Happy forty something / Close enough, right?" • "Caution: Now hotter by one degree" (for graduation). Echeverri says they are still "tweaking" the operational side of the business, but they emerged from the COVID pandemic with a strong customer base. Toward the end of the week, she says, they're always busy preparing for weekend parties. At the height of the pandemic, Cobb says, they shied to more online orders and deliveries. Cobb says it's always fun to drop off a surprise delivery and see the recipient's reaction. at's especially true when an out-of-state customer sends an unexpected birthday or holiday greeting to a family member they may not have visited with in a while, she says. "We live for the reaction," Cobb says. "If it's simple, people won't notice it. It's rewarding to see that people appreciate it." Echeverri's entrepreneurial spirit is guiding her toward even more growth for Meraki Creative: She hopes to someday franchise their business model. It's all about spreading joy. "For kids, they have their parents to make them happy," she says. "As we grow, we forget that color makes us all feel happy." With emotion. In abundance. 910.868.5131 | 3200 Cliffdale Road, Fayetteville, NC 28303 | www.fayacademy.org Fayetteville Academy Fayetteville Academy admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation in administration of its educational policies, admissions, financial aid, and athletic and other school-administered programs. PREPARING STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE AND BEYOND Visit www.fayacademy.org for more information • Pre-K through grade 12 STEAM SmartLabs ® • Chromebook 1:1 program • Grades 4-7 LEGO ® Robotics Team • 71 percent of students who take the AP exams score a 3 or higher. • More than $500,000 in need-based financial aid awarded annually to qualified applicants. • The 26 members of the Class of 2022 were offered more than $3 million in college scholarships and grants. RANKED #1 IN THE NICHE.COM 2022 BEST PRIVATE K-12 SCHOOLS IN THE FAYETTEVILLE AREA

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