Brie Finch
Alison Rich is the owner of True North Creations, a local small business that specializes in personalized and customized items, from apparel to water bottles, and everything in between!
Alison has been crafting as a hobby for what seems like forever. It all began when she found herself having difficulty finding shirts that her son felt comfortable wearing. She decided to make her own, and from there she took off. She quickly found herself making custom birthday shirts for her children and her friend’s children, onesies as gifts to friends who were pregnant, fun holiday shirts, and matching family vacation shirts. Word began to spread, and she began to make more and more and officially established True North Creations in May of 2020. Currently, Alison operates her business out of her kitchen and masterfully juggles her busy career and family life. Through it all though, Alison prides herself on her ability to provide her customers with more customization options and a quicker delivery time than most online retailers.
Alison makes a wide range of products, including shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, wine glasses, champagne flutes, ornaments, can coolers, tote bags, water bottles, signs, and more! Even if you think you have a crazy request, don’t hesitate to show her a picture of what you’re looking for, and she’ll probably be able to make it for you. While she sells her items predominantly via social media and word of mouth, she does have a few craft/vendor events lined up, and a few pieces displayed at Salon Tash on Cedar Swamp Road.
When asked about her favorite part of the job, she said, “My favorite part of my job is being entrusted to make personalized apparel and gifts for people who are celebrating special occasions. Another of my favorite parts is taking handwriting from loved ones and turning it into a special ornament, coffee mug, shirt, etc. so that you can have it on something that will last forever. I also really love that I can work closely with people and give them exactly what they want or what their child wants, without them having to just select preset options from a random Etsy shop.”
Alison continues, “For example, your daughter is turning 4 and she wants a VERY specific birthday shirt that says “4-year-old birthday girl princess” in blue and pink with a picture of a dinosaur and a unicorn and her name written in her own handwriting in green on the back. I can do that! You just found out that it’s snowman day at school on Friday and you need a shirt with a snowman on it in two days – I can do that! Your grandmother recently passed away and you want to get ornaments with ‘I love you!’ in her handwriting for you and your 6 cousins – I can do that! I’m so grateful that I get the opportunity to make such personal and memorable things for people.”
She expressed a heartfelt gratitude towards Smithfield for all the support she received and receives every day. As a native local and currently raising her children here, the connections she makes in person and via social media are so important. She said the feeling she gets when she sees people posting and tagging plays such a significant role in so many important memories.
You can check out an assortment of Alison’s products on her Instagram and Facebook pages, @truenorthcreationsri, or you can venture over to Salon Tash to take a peek at a limited amount of drinkware. If you have an event coming up or just want a cool customized item to rock this Summer, you can reach out to Alison via Instagram, Facebook, or send her an email at truenorthcreationsri@gmail.com.