GRACEPLACE ART | CASE STUDY
Building a mission-driven art business from the ground up.
From website design to social media strategy, product development, email marketing, wholesale outreach, corporate gifting, collaborations, partnerships, and backend systems, I helped build the digital foundation and growth engine behind GracePlace Art.
About GracePlace Art…
GracePlace Art is a purpose-driven art and gift company founded by Bonnie Reber and her daughter Grace, an artist with Down syndrome. The business was created to provide Grace with meaningful opportunities to create, learn, grow, work, and give back while sharing a larger message of inclusion, representation, and possibility.
From the earliest stages of the business, I partnered with GracePlace Art to help transform an idea into a fully functioning brand and business. My role extended far beyond marketing. I helped build the digital foundation, customer experience, marketing ecosystem, partnerships, and operational systems that supported the growth of the company over time.
The Challenge
Like many small businesses, GracePlace Art began with a powerful mission, but needed the infrastructure, strategy, and systems necessary to grow sustainably.
The goal was to create a cohesive brand experience that could:
Tell Grace's story in authentically
Create products that would showcase Grace’s art
Build an engaged community
Drive product sales through multiple channels & an integrated marketing strategy
Expand into wholesale and retail opportunities
Secure corporate gifting partnerships
Develop strategic collaborations to increase brand awareness and create additional revenue opportunities
Create systems to support long-term growth
As the business evolved, the challenge became not only growing sales, but creating multiple pathways for growth through partnerships, collaborations, wholesale accounts, corporate gifting, and community relationships that could expand the reach of the brand beyond its existing audience.
My Role…
Brand & Website Development
Designed and built the GracePlace Art brand and website from the ground up
Developed messaging | customer journey
Built shop and e-commerce experience
Managed updates and ongoing improvements
Graphics, product photos, & marketing materials
Wholesale Growth
Developed wholesale outreach strategy
Created retailer outreach messaging
Built relationships with potential retail partners
Positioned GracePlace Art as a purpose-driven brand for gift shops, boutiques, bookstores, coffee shops, and specialty retailers
Product Dev & Launch Strategy
Supported product development from concept through launch, transforming ideas into market-ready offerings
Planned and executed integrated launch campaigns across website, email, social media, and promotional channels
Story-driven marketing connecting products to brand mission, increasing engagement, visibility, and sales
Ongoing product promotion through coordinated campaigns and revenue driving marketing initiatives
Corporate Gifting
Developed corporate gifting strategy
Created outreach materials and messaging
Helped position GracePlace Art as a meaningful gifting solution for businesses seeking purpose-driven products with social impact
Built partnership relationships/opportunities
Social Media & Content Strategy
Built social media presence from the ground up
Developed content pillars & storytelling strategy
Wrote captions and campaign messaging
Planned and executed promotional campaigns
End to end social media services - from planning to filming to publishing and engagement
Collaborations & Partnerships
Identified and supported collaboration opportunities aligned with brand's mission/values
Developed partnership messaging, promotional strategy, and launch support
Supported aligned collaborations that expanded brand visibility & created additional revenue
Leveraged collaborations as both marketing opportunities and business growth opportunities
Email Marketing
Built and managed email marketing strategy
Created promotional campaigns
Developed launch sequences
Wrote holiday and seasonal sales campaigns
Supported customer retention/repeat purchases
Operations & Systems
Developed organizational systems and workflows
Supported backend business processes
Built operational infrastructure to support continued growth across multiple sales channels
Strategic Partnerships & Growth Opportunities
One of the most impactful outcomes of my work with GracePlace Art was the growth of strategic partnerships, collaborations, wholesale opportunities, and corporate gifting relationships.
By building a consistent social media presence, strengthening the brand story, and creating content that highlighted Grace's artwork, mission, and impact, I significantly increased brand awareness and visibility. As more people discovered and connected with the brand, new opportunities began to emerge organically.
Through strategic storytelling and community building/outreach, I helped GracePlace Art evolve from a small online shop into a recognizable mission-driven brand that attracted the attention of retailers, corporate partners, media outlets, and like-minded organizations looking to collaborate.
Many of the brand's most exciting growth opportunities were a direct result of increased visibility, audience growth, and the authentic online presence we built over time. From there, I helped foster business relationships, manage communications, and promote launches across our social media, web, and email campaigns.
*Notable Achievements Below…
Intuit Corporate Gifting
Established relationships with intuit employees which led to being selected for a corporate gifting campaign featuring 2,300 of GracePlace Art’s "Treat Yourself" journals for employee gift boxes. The partnership generated significant sales as well as brand awareness among a new audience.
The Happy Planner
The happy planner found GracePlace Art on social media and reached out regarding a collaboration featuring custom art for a new product line. The collaboration introduced Grace's artwork and story to a highly engaged creative community and maintaining the brand relationship led to a second line of collaborative products.
Disney/Pixar
Upon finding GracePlace Art on social media, Disney asked GracePlace Art to create a custom piece of art and associated content for their World Down Syndrome Day campaign. This partnership opportunity expanded brand awareness and credibility through alignment with a globally recognized brand
The Pioneer Woman & The Mercantile
I supported GracePlace Art in pitching the idea of a creating custom line of cards for The Pioneer Woman to be sold exclusively at The Mercantile. The brand accepted the proposal and features GracePlace Art cards in their shop. The partnership increased exposure and growth opportunities through retail visibility and relationship building.
Dr Pepper
Created a social media reel featuring Grace sharing her love of Dr Pepper, which gained significant traction online and caught the attention of the brand.
Dr Pepper reached out directly and sent Grace a personalized package, generating additional content, engagement, and brand awareness for GracePlace Art.
Alivia
After seeing GracePlace Art on social media and interacting with us at local events, Alivia connected with us to feature Grace’s designs in an inclusive fashion collaboration, bringing Grace's artwork to a highly engaged audience while supporting a shared mission of representation and inclusion.
Relationship building and launch success led to a second clothing line collaboration, further increasing GracePlace Art’s visibility and brand authority.
Social Media Audience Growth
I created and grew GracePlace Art's social media presence from the ground up across Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram - transforming new accounts into engaged communities that drive awareness, connection, and sales.
Through strategic storytelling, consistent content, and a mission-led marketing approach, I built a digital presence that not only grew a loyal audience, but also attracted brand partnerships, media attention, wholesale opportunities, and corporate collaborations.
Instagram
+26,600 Followers
Facebook
+25,000 Followers
Tik Tok
+5,276 Followers
Featured Work
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Content Highlights
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Featured Work | Content Highlights |
+278.8K Views
+15.9K Interactions
Strategy | Filming | Editing | Copywriting
+1M Views
23K Interactions
Strategy | Filming | Editing | Copywriting
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+3.2K Interactions
Strategy | Filming | Editing | Copywriting
+185K Views
+6.7K Interactions
Strategy | Filming | Editing | Copywriting
+185K Views
+12.5K Interactions
Strategy | Filming | Editing | Copywriting
+1.5M Views
+76K Interactions
Strategy | Filming | Editing | Copywriting
+39.8K Views
+3.1K Interactions
Strategy | Filming | Editing | Copywriting
+25.7K Views
+1.8K Interactions
Strategy | Filming | Editing | Copywriting
This project wasn't simply about selling products.
It was about building a brand people wanted to follow, support, and share.
By combining strategic content creation, authentic storytelling, social media management, email marketing, website management, and thoughtful brand strategy, we transformed GracePlace Art into a recognizable online presence that celebrates inclusion, builds genuine community, and turns meaningful stories into lasting customer relationships.
The same approach can be applied to creators, founders, nonprofits, artists, small businesses, and purpose-driven brands looking to grow their audience, elevate their online presence, strengthen their brand identity, and create meaningful connections through intentional marketing and content.