LYNNFIELD — Folk singer Judy Collins once said, “Do what you love and you will find a way to get it out to the world.”
Collins could have written those words for Lynnfield businesswoman Rachele Milordi, whose new business, Salt + Shimmer Artistry, is doing just that.
The company, founded earlier this year, sells ocean-themed original resin art pieces and homewares.
“I believe that if you do what you love, you will be successful, but I never expected the response I have gotten,” said Milordi, who operates out of a home studio. “Business has taken off and sales are great, and honestly I am shocked at how good they are.”
A member of the Lynnfield High School class of 2011, Milordi graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2015 with a nursing degree.
“I loved my patients and had worked as a nurse for four years, but I felt the need to do something else,” said Milordi. “I had always been super creative, so I decided to pursue my artistic side and ended up getting hooked on resin.”
That was in the spring of 2019.
After several months of honing her craft through experimentation with different materials, surfaces and techniques, Milordi perfected her work and became a full-time resin artist.
Pieces range from serving boards and trays to sea-glass inspired coasters and wall art. For the bargain hunter, a limited selection of seconds is also available.
Production begins with reclaimed wood pieces and leftover flooring (bamboo, cherry, oak and ash) collected by her father, Rob, at construction sites and other places. He fashions the pieces into assorted sizes and shapes and hands them off to Rachele to add her artistic touch, embellishing them with drips of colored resin to simulate the movement of waves and incoming surf. The colors evoke visions of soothing Caribbean waters, with surf-fringed aquamarine and touches of cerulean and deep blue.
Milordi uses social media and her website, www.saltshimmerartistry.com, to market and sell her products. She is now expanding the business into brick and mortar retail stores. Already in place at Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod in Truro and Handcraft House in Brewster, her products will be available at 4GoodVibes in Medford and Somerville starting this week.
“The Cape stores found me on Instagram,” Milordi said. “I am definitely looking to get my name out there in more communities.”
Milordi said she still draws inspiration from the “beach breaks” she took between classes at URI and from living in a beach house senior year.
“Obviously, growing up I had always loved the ocean, but it wasn’t until I went to URI that I realized the calming effect the ocean had on me,” she said. “Nursing was super stressful, and I found relief in the beach, and then once I lived in a beach house, I knew I was obsessed.”
While Milordi is living her dream of turning a life-long love into a for-profit business, she is also helping to make dreams come true for people less fortunate than she has been, as a portion of every Salt + Shimmer sale is donated to local charities. The company’s charity of choice is the North Reading-based Foster Box, a charity that provides support to Department of Children And Families offices.
“We started doing that last month,” Milordi said. “They provide things like clothing and bags of pajamas and toys for the kids who have been removed from their homes, and they also provide support to the families who are hosting kids.”
In choosing the name of the company, Milordi said she was inspired by a Biblical verse: Mathew 5:13-16.
“It’s all about being the salt and light of the world, so I thought that was very reflective of the work I do,” said Milordi.
