5 questions with Lori Champagne

1. How did you get your start in this industry?

Back in 1994 when I married my first husband, we were looking for a business that would be creative and virtually recession-proof. I had done picture framing in the past, but that was not a recession-proof occupation. We stumbled on the awards industry and determined that when times were good, companies bought gifts and awards for their employees, and when times were bad, companies did not give raises but instead gave awards to help keep their employees happy. Additionally, there would always be youth sports trophies, school awards, and community gifts of appreciation. 

2. What advice do you have for someone just starting in engraving?

Attend the trade shows. This will give you an idea of what is out there as far as machines, materials, and processes. Have lunch at the tables that are usually set up in the exhibition hall and talk to other people about what they do and how they got started. It will give you lots of ideas, and you can get honest opinions about machinery and products. Don’t worry about finding your niche; your niche will find you. Also, don’t over-buy products at the trade shows. Everything is cool in the beginning, and you could end up with a storage room full of product that might be difficult to sell. Bring on new equipment slowly, so you have time to learn each machine before the new one arrives.

Also, regarding machines, read the manual when you first get the machine. You may only understand 20% to 40% of it. Then, after you’ve been playing with the machine for at least six months, read the manual again. You will understand so much more and absorb more of the tips and tricks that your machine can provide. 

3. What challenges do you see coming for engraving professionals?

New processes and computers are wonderful things, but as with every industry for hundreds of years, the artisan who can create with their hands is being lost to time. We have just four hand engravers in the metro Detroit area. Although there are plenty of videos online to teach, people are turning to processes that are computer driven, not finger driven. These arts may not be necessary anymore, but I mourn their loss. It saddens my heart to see perpetual trophies that have been imperfectly hand engraved for more than 100 years, now have the precisely formed letters of our computerized age. The warmth, the character, and the human touch has been lost.

4. The flip side of that question: What are the biggest opportunities?

Back when I started in this industry, the offerings of engraving shops were virtually the same. Pantograph or mechanical engraving on simple plaques. You had two choices: metal or plastic. Then came sandblasters, sublimation, lasers, and now DTF and DTG printing. The industry has expanded in a million directions, and there’s so much to choose from. Each engraving shop is now very different from the one before. And because of Etsy and other online selling opportunities, we have expanded from neighborhood shops to worldwide enterprises that can specialize in something as specific as dog collars. And yet, even with the global expansion, there’s still room for those who practice the old ways of hand engraving.

5. What’s the coolest thing you’ve engraved?

I tend to be the shop that other shops send things to when they won’t touch it or don’t know how to engrave it. I see a lot of weirdness. From Adirondack chairs to coconuts to shark teeth, to KitchenAid mixers. So many bizarre objects. I’ve done work for Betty White, Magic Johnson, Jewel, and Stan Lee. Strangely enough, my favorite award that I’ve ever created was for a father to give to his son. The two used to walk together a lot, and it was their goal to walk around the world together. I created an award that had a globe in the middle, and the silhouettes of a father and son that you could move to make them walk around the Earth.