Our Story

Read about how Uncovered Artistry Boutique came to be: Our Story

Why We Changed from “Violence” to “Abuse”

Recently, Uncovered Artistry has modified its motto from “empowering domestic violence survivors” to “empowering domestic abuse survivors.” Why did we change “violence” to “abuse?” When most people hear the word “violence” they associate it with physical beating. However, abuse can come in many forms. To clarify, here is a definition of domestic abuse as defined by A Safe Place NH (www.asafeplacenh.org):
Domestic abuse is a pattern of coercive and/or violent behaviors used by a partner to gain power and control over the other person, and it goes far beyond physical injury.

Types of abuse include:
• Verbal abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Financial abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Physical abuse

For a more detailed description of these types of abuse, go to http://www.asafeplacenh.org/abuse_types.html

Thank You!

Lately I’ve been amazed by all the support and help UA has been receiving from friends and family. Here are just a few people who we couldn’t do without! Thank you to…

Our family, especially Grandma who tells everyone she can about UA, our Aunt Angie for her fantastic support and enthusiasm, our cousin Steve for talking to us about non-profits and corporations.

Our friends and co-workers, who have put up flyers at their jobs, volunteered to work on our website, translated a flyer into Spanish, and gave us brilliant suggestions.

The community for spreading the word about UA, congratulating and encouraging us, and suggesting new agencies and organizations for us to reach out to.

Uncovered Artistry is truly on its way to accomplishing our mission to help domestic violence survivors discover their "inner entrepreneur," empowering them both emotionally and financially. Thanks so much to everyone who has encouraged and helped us!

Resources (that really work!) for Writing a Press Release

Uncovered Artistry is looking for domestic violence survivor artisans, so we decided to use the local newspapers as a way to reach out to many individuals. When I first took on the task of writing a press release, I thought it would be a short two sentence blurb. I did a little research and found that I was a bit mistaken. Here is the final press release that I sent to local newspapers:

Local Winnacunnet Alumni Receive Grant to Start Non-Profit to Aid Domestic Violence Survivors

Sarah and Angela Spoto, alumni of Winnacunnet High School, received a grant to begin a non-profit online boutique called Uncovered Artistry that sells the artisan work of domestic violence survivors.

Hampton Falls, NH June 9^th 2010—Sarah and Angela Spoto, twin college students and alumni of Winnacunnet High School, received a grant from Projects for Peace to start a non-profit online boutique that sells solely the artisan work of domestic violence survivors. Uncovered Artistry Boutique will sell products that range from fashion accessories to bath and home décor.

Over a year ago, the girls began their first small business selling jewelry online. The experience they gained from this business has helped them begin Uncovered Artistry.

“We loved the jewelry business, but we both knew that we wanted to take business a step further and use it to help and empower others. That’s why we created Uncovered Artistry,” said co-owner Sarah Spoto.

Uncovered Artistry is committed to helping domestic violence victims overcome the emotional and financial burdens of violence. By selling the work of only domestic violence survivors, the boutique offer artisans a friendly and convenient way to sell their work. Uncovered Artistry Boutique acts just like any other retailer and purchases the work of artisans at a fair price.

The online store’s mission is to help domestic violence survivors discover their "inner entrepreneur," empowering them both emotionally and financially. From this, said co-owner Angela Spoto, “we hope to promote peace in the lives of the artisans and our customers.”

About Uncovered Artistry Boutique:

Uncovered Artistry Boutique, operating out of Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, is a non-profit online boutique that sells the finely crafted work of domestic violence survivors and distributes the products throughout the country. The business has two main goals. First, it provides an outlet for domestic survivors in America and Canada to sell their artisan work, thereby providing them with financial independence and personal confidence. Second, Uncovered Artistry educates their customers about domestic violence in order to raise awareness and eliminate stereotypes. Angela and Sarah Spoto are founders and owners of Uncovered Artistry. They are residents of Hampton Falls and attend Lake Forest College near Chicago.

Contact:

Angela and Sarah Spoto

Uncovered Artistry Boutique

PO Box 503

Hampton Falls, NH 03844

(603)793-1582

uncoveredartistry@gmail.com

www.uncoveredartistry.com

I used this website (http://www.free-press-release-center.info/sample-press-release.html) to help with writing the press release. It breaks a press release down into core components and does a good job of detailing what each section is about. It also gives sample press releases. I also found this article (http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090710-BIZ-307109997) very useful as it gave valuable information regarding press releases. And finally, here is the article, based on my press release that was published in local newspapers: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20100611-NEWS-6110360

Happy writing,

Angie