Commitment to community

Simple and Sentimental, which handles 50 orders of personalized gifts daily, started producing face shields for Greenville-area hospitals on March 25, 2020 (Photos provided by Simple and Sentimental)

Simple and Sentimental is a Greenville-based online and storefront operation that creates unique, personalized gifts. Before the pandemic, its operation was running smoothly.

“We were in the process of acquiring new suppliers to get our product costs down and planning out the rest of the year,” said owner Taylor Walden (BSBA ’19). “We were shipping out 50 orders per day.”

Today, Simple and Sentimental is following Greenville’s Stop the Spread order. Three employees are staying safe and working from home. Walden and her husband, Nick, are running the company’s daily operations.

“Today, we literally do a happy dance if we get an online order,” says Walden. “Weddings are being canceled and postponed. Brides are not looking to buy wedding decor, bridesmaid gifts or anything else for their wedding because the outlook is so uncertain.”

Taylor, left, and Nick Walden, wanted to do something to help their community. After joining a Facebook group of laser engravers, they decided to produce protective face shields for healthcare workers.

What is certain is the Waldens’ commitment to give back to the community they call home. In a Facebook group of laser engravers, group members were sharing plans for producing personal protective equipment. And on March 25, Simple and Sentimental leaned on its entrepreneurial spirit, assessed its capabilities, and began producing face shields for Greenville-area hospitals.

They started a GoFundMe account, and for every $8 raised, they can produce one face shield.

“So far, we have raised funds to make 295 face shields,” said Walden. “We have manufactured 116 face shields. We are currently waiting on more supplies to arrive so we can keep making them and sending them out.”

Walden said that her ECU family was a great source of information to turn to in these trying times. Walden is the inaugural winner of the Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge, the signature business pitch competition of the Miller School of Entrepreneurship. She called Miller School instructor David Mayo after she had the idea to create the face shields.

“I reached out for advice on how to move forward,” said Walden. “He (Mayo) gave me the idea of crowdfunding instead of directly reaching out to hospitals to fund the materials. I would have never thought of that on my own. I’m glad that even as an alumna, I’m still part of the Miller School family and can reach out for help when I need it.”

For now, Walden keeps a positive spirit for both her company and her employees. “The pandemic has shown me how important it is to stay positive and maintain a ‘the show must go on’ mentality,” said Walden. “My heart breaks for those who have passed away or fallen ill to COVID-19. However, during this crisis, I still have to move my business forward.”

“Our community … will get through this.”

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• Alumni
• Miller School of Entrepreneurship