Meet Sumhr Giboney | Custom Sign Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sumhr Giboney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sumhr, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
My full-time career is in sales and operations for a construction company and I wanted to use my free time creating art that allowed me to be colorful and creative. I eventually discovered the creative community in Atlanta and I was excited to do what I love while connecting with other female entrepreneurs in the city.

What should our readers know about your business?
Polly Ann Collection creates custom wood signs for businesses, brands and adorable babies too! My business is unique because I cut all of my designs by hand with a scroll saw – most others in my industry use lasers. I am fortunate to be invited into people’s lives at critical moments – starting a new business, celebrating a new family member – and it’s truly an honor to be a part of the celebration. My business was definitely not an overnight success. I studied wood cutting for almost a year before purchasing my own saw and practiced in my garage for months before anyone even knew I had it! I continue to study and improve my cuts each year so that I can serve my customers in the best way. In addition to studying my craft, I place a strong emphasis on engaging my community, especially now that face-to-face events are limited. Without my community my business would not be a success! Whenever I have the opportunity I love to share that I’m a wife and mom of 3 small children with a full time career because I want other women who may be in a similar situation to know that they can still live their creative dreams and start that side hustle. It may take longer than folks who do it full time but it definitely can be done. Put your vision on paper, add the steps you need to take to get there plus a reasonable timeline and who can help you along the way. The next step is to execute. It may not be perfect but it will be done and you can always make tweaks when you need to!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Let’s start with a morning workout! I live on the Westside of Atlanta and the Proctor Creek Greenway is absolutely gorgeous and peaceful. Next up is breakfast because you can’t explore this great city on an empty stomach, right?! West Egg, Full Commission and Pancake Social are a few of my favs. After breakfast we would explore Ponce City Market and have lunch in the food hall and take a walk on the East Side Beltline trail to enjoy all of the art installations along the path. If we needed some downtime to check emails, etc, we’d head to East Pole Coffee and sit on the risers with a tasty cup of joe. After that we’ll take a break and head home to rest up for dinner at my fav, Two Urban Licks! The salmon chips and empanadas are must-haves.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I named my business after my Mom who studied Art and is consistently creating art in various forms. She has always encouraged me to follow my creative dreams and for that I am forever grateful! My first ever logo sign was a gift to Manu Muraro of @YourSocialTeam as she celebrated her 1st year as a business in 2018. She is incredible at building community and supporting local entrepreneurs and the support she’s shown for my business over the years has been tremendous. I’ve participated in several large conferences along side of her that have helped grow my business over the years.

Website: www.pollyanncollection.com
Instagram: @pollyanncollection
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pollyanncollection

Image Credits
Let’s Conference @sarahvitelphoto Dood Squad @shelbyraephotographs @fitaltantafest @sparklecottoncandyatl