Nicole D’Silva | The Chronicle
Flowing across a swath of brown wrapping paper, Mason High School (MHS) Junior Grace Wang paints her banners with care and precise attention to detail. Wang has started her own business, Banners By Grace W, where she paints banners for customers to display at parties and get-togethers.
Wang said the idea for her business stemmed from a banner she created for fun for her and her friends during the homecoming season this year.
“My friends wanted to do brunch before we got ready and to make bouquets,” Wang said. “And they [told me] ‘Grace, you should paint a banner’. So I did, and I decided to record it for fun.”
Wang filmed a time-lapse video of her painting her first banner and posted it on her Instagram. The video caught the eye of many of her followers, and with the positive attention, several of them brought the idea of a business to her.
“[People told me I could] make money off of this,” Wang said. “One girl reached out to me and asked if I could paint one for her. I [realized] a business could be a good idea, so I made an official Instagram account and started it up.”
Wang’s Instagram page is relatively recent; she said she’s working hard to build up a successful customer base. She said she primarily uses it for her business and to show possible customers how it works and why they should choose her business.
Wang said she works individually with her client base to decide on a design. Maitri Bhavsar, one of her customers, said she was searching for something new to add to her coming sweet 16 birthday party, and that she found Wang’s business at the perfect time.
Custom painted banner by Grace Wang seen at customer’s “Sweet Sixteen” party.
“[Wang’s business account] requested to follow me on Instagram,” Bhavsar said. “And this was so [surprising], because a minute ago, I was thinking that my party’s next week and I don’t have a banner. How do I do this? And at that exact moment I got the request.”
Bhavsar said she texted Wang to find out how soon she could have an order by, and when Wang said it could be ready by that weekend she decided to work with her to create the birthday backdrop of her dreams.
“I sent her videos and photos from Pinterest,” Bhavsar said. “I wanted florals in different pastel colors, especially in all different types of flowers with stems and leaves, a bow that’s in the corners, and then the big, ‘Happy Sweet 16th Birthday Maitri’ in cursive. Plus, it fit well with the party theme, because it was oriented towards light pink.”
Wang said that she takes her clients wishes and turns them into reality on the banners, mostly through freehanding the letters and art on the signs. She said that her ability to freehand comes from years of experience with art and all different types of mediums.
“I’ve had so many different artistic phases,” Wang said. “When I was a kid, I was very much a drawing and painting girl, and as I’ve grown up, [what I like doing] has changed over the time, but I’ve always loved painting.”
Wang’s mother helped foster that interest by placing her in various art classes, including oil painting, at a young age. Through her years of experience, Wang has gotten better at painting, and this makes creating banners easier for her.
Wang said that since she enjoys painting, making banners fosters a creative vessel where she can put her hobby to use. She said her main goal is to provide a positive, accessible experience for her peers and overall clientele.
Bhavsar said that Wang’s convenience and adaptability was very important to her and it made the experience what it was. She said she would definitely recommend Wang’s business to anyone who wants a banner efficiently and made exactly to order.
“My banner looked exactly the way I wanted and it was a huge hit at my party,” Bhavsar said. “I think if she continues to satisfy customers like this, [her business will go] far.”
