Selling Veils From Home

The Enquirer:

Rebecca Walker - founder, co-owner and president of VeilShop.com - was inspired to become a business owner after watching her mother run her own orthodontics lab while growing up in Fairfield.

“I liked the lifestyle flexibility it offered her and the time it gave her to spend with the family,” said Walker, 46.

“I wanted something where I could call my own shots.”

Walker and her husband, Robert, seven years ago started VeilShop.com, a West Chester-based Internet store that sells wedding veils, head pieces and bridal accessories.

The couple started the business after Rebecca struggled to find certain bridal accessories in stores for her wedding in 1986.

VeilShop.com was an immediate success, the couple said, leading them to quit their jobs as physical therapists in Seattle and spend their time focusing on the business.

The company had about 7,500 orders with sales of nearly $675,000 last year, up from about 1,000 orders and sales of $75,000 in 2001, the first full year of operations here.

Rebecca says running a business is hard work, but she enjoys how it allows her and husband to spend time with Cooper, their 5-year-old son.

“It’s extremely fulfilling, because it allows me to have a career and spend quality time with my family,” she says.