Maker:
Lindsay Spinola
Neighborhood:
Shaler
Tell us about your brand and why it’s the best:
LuluZ Design provides laughter, community and smiles, through the creation of unique Pittsburgh themed gifts.
What is your background and the story behind why you started creating?
From Hillbilly to Yinzer. I grew up in a small college town in Western NY, where cows and vineyards were common place, and our school mascot was a Hillbilly (which still makes me laugh). After College, I moved to Pittsburgh for my first design job at a creative agency downtown and my love affair with the city began soon after.
I remember my first Pittsburghese mishap, as it triggered a fixation that lead me to where I am today. I was at the Giant Eagle Deli and the friendly woman behind the counter asked me if I wanted my ham “chip chopped”. Assuming this was just another way of saying sliced, I said yes. This lead to me taking home a mushy pile of the thinnest sliced, unusable (in my mind at the time), sandwich meat.
This was just the beginning of many miscommunications between myself and local Pittsburghers. Words like nebby, jagoff, slippy and dahntahn became an obsession for me. To me, Yinzers and their Pittsburghese defined Pittsburgh and it’s culture more than any sport team and I was here for it.
Fast forward through 14 years of agency life as a designer/art director, a marriage and a baby, and I was finally ready to go solo with my love for Pittsburgh and LuluZ Design was born.
What one product do we need to know about and why?
The Jag of All Trades t-shirt! Just saying the phrase out loud will make you smile. It was strongly inspired by my tinkering husband who was being particularly smug one day. I took one look at him and blurted out “well aren’t you just a jag of all trades.” We must have laughed for 10 minutes straight, and the idea for this tee was born. It’s the perfect gift for the friend, or family member that does it all.
In three words, why do you love Pittsburgh?
Yinzers. Pittsburghese. Culture.
How can people find out more about you?
luluzdesign.com
@luluzdesignpgh