Adalee Anderson ‘26 is currently a senior at Buffalo High School where she keeps herself involved by being engaged in a variety of activities such as student council, National Honor Society, and
Yearbook. Despite her busy schedule, Anderson has found the time to pursue her passions by starting her own business: painting ornate banners for a variety of occasions.
“I started my first banner almost exactly a year ago to take pictures with for prom,” said Anderson. “We actually didn’t end up taking pictures with it, but it led to other people seeing my work, asking about it, and wanting a banner for themselves.”
Anderson didn’t originally plan on her hobby becoming a successful business, but her creations caught the eye of many.
“For my first couple of banners I had to borrow a projector from my friend Syke Mckibben [‘26] because I didn’t have any materials to paint banners,” Anderson said. “Eventually I felt so bad borrowing it all the time I bought my own. Then I started to get so many orders that I decided to set up an Instagram page and make a business out of it. I didn’t plan on it becoming a business, but I’m so glad it happened.”
Since then, Anderson has created
thirteen banners for various occasions including back to school, christmas,
valentines day, birthdays, graduation
parties, and prom.
The process to make a banner starts by collaborating with the customer to
create a design. Once that design has been approved, Anderson uses equipment that is set up in her basement to project and sketch it onto a piece of banner paper. From there the painting begins, which usually takes two to three hours to complete. Once the banner is finished, the customer picks the banner up from Anderson’s house or she delivers it to the customer.
“It feels good knowing people will come to me to get something they can hang up at an event and I can give them something they will definitely like,” Anderson said.
Anderson has gained valuable insights from her experience as a business owner such as how to promote her business, advertise products, as well as understand and predict customer’s buying patterns. In addition, Anderson’s business has opened many doors for her, offering unexpected opportunities. One of those was the chance to p paint a banner for this year’s Unified Prom which Anderson regarded as an honor.
While Anderson’s time at BHS is coming to a close, her plans for the business are doing the exact opposite. She hopes to continue to create her banners during
college, and perhaps, the rest of her life.
“I think I’ve found something that will stay with me into adulthood. I could keep doing this forever,” Anderson reflected. “This is a business I don’t plan on dropping anytime soon.”
You can check out her work or place an order via her Instagram account
@banners.by.adi!
