Breaking

With the USVI’s bi-yearly elections and the constant need of personalized services demanded from residents who want to memorialize, say, a deceased loved one for example, it would seem as if a pinback buttons business, locally designed and produced, would thrive.

At least that’s the current mindset of Tameka Duncan, the founder of Personalize It!… Your Way, a business Ms. Duncan founded in 2008 that she has nurtured as a part-time effort for the past 9 years.

Now, however, Ms. Duncan wants to take the big step of making the operation a full-time one, offering an array of personalized pinback buttons and accessories, with the means of producing next-day results if need be (regular turnaround time is 3-7 business days, so advance placement is advised), and shipping not only throughout the territory, but to outside destinations as well.

Tameka Duncan

Ms. Duncan, 38, initially started working as a designer with a local company that made buttons. She would then be offered the entire operation when the company folded, but only accepted the buttons-making portion because, “At the time I didn’t want to take a whole building, so I decided to do the [buttons.”

And so it began. “It started during the election season in 2008, and I always wanted to make it a full-time business, and that’s still the goal because I can cater to a lot of different needs that we have in the community,” Ms. Duncan said.

Personalize It!… Your Way Offerings:

The company started off specializing in pinback buttons, and later expanded to other button accessories such as magnets, mirrors, key chains, bottle openers and coasters. The items are round and come in two sizes: 2.25″ (standard) and a larger size of 3.5″. There’s a minimum order requirement of 25 buttons.

Target Audience

Ms. Duncan said her company is mainly seeking to do business with nonprofit organizations, politicians, small businesses, memorial planners, funeral planners and pageantry organizers.

How to Order

You can simply call 340-277-9803 and ask to speak with Ms. Duncan, or start the ordering process through the website, here. You may also reach Personalize It!… Your Way through their social media platforms on Facebook and Instagram.

For Ms. Duncan, making buttons is more than just a job. “I really enjoy doing buttons,” she said, stressing her company’s concentration on personalization. “It’s a whole design that I do for you and it’s something that you can say is yours and you had an input in what is on that button.”

And the turnaround time is quick. Ms. Duncan owns the machines that make the buttons, so the efficiency in delivery depends on how quickly a client can approve a sample. “I’ve gotten people to call me today and they want something for tomorrow,” she said. “If it’s, lets say, a hundred buttons and we approve a sample and you make the payment in full, we could get that to you. But if you want about ten thousand, we’ll probably need a little more time.”