A&E Exclusive: Studio 1883 Opens in Southern Indiana

On the morning of Wednesday, July 10, several witnesses lined up outside Studio 1883 for its grand opening in the Blackiston Mill Shopping Center in New Albany, Indiana. The 2,100-square-foot space now provides sublimation and vinyl options for customization and will host classes for the community. 

The owner of the new business, Angela Hunt, is dedicated to expanding the world of sublimation for people in the Louisville and southern Indiana area. “My biggest goal is to get more people into the craft and be able to share the excitement that I’ve had in it with everyone else in the area,” Hunt says. “Monetarily, I want the store to do well, but it’s more about the area to me than anything.”

Hunt explains that she first started using vinyl around the time when the first Cameo came out. According to her, she purchased one from the first line and slowly moved up from that point on. About a year and a half ago, Hunt kept hearing more and more people talk about sublimation in some of the vinyl groups she is a member of on Facebook. 

But it was a phone call to one of the bigger sublimation businesses that really got her going. Originally, Hunt thought sublimation could be a way for her daughter to make extra money while going to college. “My daughter helps out, but (it) never got into being her college thing – it ended up being more my thing,” she laughs. 

Hunt eventually began selling items online in Facebook groups and business branched out from there. After years of decorating from home, Hunt grew frustrated with having to buy stuff online and not being able to find items locally, while also worrying about the quality. “We wanted to bring a store to the southern Indiana area, where we are,” Hunt states. She may be the sole owner on paper, but her husband, Guy, is a huge support as well as her three daughters, who help out in the store if needed.

The inspiration for the name, Studio 1883, came from a desire to have something that didn’t box the business into a set path, as technologies evolve and new processes take hold, according to Hunt. “We wanted something that could grow with the business, and Studio seemed to be broad enough to accomplish that,” says Hunt. “The 1883 part is actually my kid’s birthdays, the 18th, the 8th, and the 3rd.”

According to Hunt, the excitement of everyone in the area has been overwhelming, but in the best possible way. “I actually had someone drive three hours for the grand opening,” Hunt recalls. 

With the help of a local chamber group, Studio 1883 had a ribbon cutting ceremony with chamber officials in attendance as well as a representative from the city and other local businesses, friends, and family. All in all, there were about 50 people that showed up for the ceremony the afternoon of July 10th. “Everyone in the store loved the products and are excited about the possibilities,” Hunt elaborates. “The classes and project nights were a big item of discussion for a lot of people.”

A dedicated classroom in Studio 1883 will host different instructors to help teach everything from basic Cricut or Cameo, as well as how to do sublimation. Hunt adds the studio will also host project nights and birthday parties to get sublimation out there a little more. 

For more information, visit www.studio1883.com.