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Name: Anita T Abrams

Business: Accetra Arts Ltd.

Location: Dix Hills, New York, U.S. 

Industry: Arts & Entertainment

Reason for starting? After graduating from college, I worked in the corporate world for major New York companies in marketing and management. While gaining valuable experience in my positions, I felt the need and desire to be self-employed. As a daughter of entrepreneurs, I had learned about hard work. I would witness my parents, while growing up, face the day-to-day challenges of building a successful business. After deciding to leave the corporate world, I worked for my mother’s successful interior design firm. One day the owner of a magnificent home-accessory line came in to pitch her line, and she asked if I was interested in working for her. I developed the product line and increased distribution to major design firms. My client relationships grew, and I began to feel the need to introduce other specialty product lines for interior designers. The purpose of Accetra Arts began: to fill a niche with access to fine art to complete well-conceived interior spaces with beautiful custom-framed art for the walls.

As a self-proclaimed expert in the art and custom-framing industry for 26 years, work is not work. Every single day I create beauty by procuring art and specialty custom framing for interior designers and their discerning clientele. Witnessing beauty every day and feeling a sense of creative expression is a truly fulfilling passion. My purpose is to be a reliable, sensible, professional and outstanding resource for my loyal trade clientele. Also, working with dealers and artists and vendors nationally for many years is a testament to good business practice. My loyalty, integrity and intelligent decision making have helped me be successful in business. I would consider my client base as gifts. I genuinely appreciate every project, big and small, and every project is as important as the next. Each day, knowing I have contributed some type of emotional connection for my clients with a carefully selected art acquisition or beautification of their surroundings, is quite humbling.

Related: Read about another entrepreneur working in the Art world here.

How do you define success?
 
Success, for me, is to be the best at what I do and perceive to be. Calling myself an art and custom-framing consultant comes from years of experience, dedication, hard work and focus. To be known in the industry as a “class act” as well as having the respect of my peers and clients is a huge achievement. I know what I know fluently and expertly. My advice, influence and business model is respected throughout my area. My business reputation is impeccable and testimonials from clients are complimentary. Loving what I do for my career is enjoyable and exciting each and every day. Beautification is my business, and the outcome is gratifying. Success is being professional, having a complete knowledge of your products and growing each day with new ideas to learn and experience. Being open to new technology to set yourself apart, leading the industry with innovations, keeping up with new trends and growth is important in today’s marketplace.

Biggest success: 
Some of my biggest successes are the compilations and placements of art and framing plans for corporate installations. Recently, I completed the installation of 90 pieces in a high-profile medical facility in New York. Currently, I am working on a placement of 96 pieces for a high-end law firm. As for success in growth, two summers ago I merged with an existing art consultant in New York and acquired a customer base and inventory that added to a larger span of market and inventory availability. Growing our website has also been exciting. But for a dozen years, my business has remained an integral part of local interior design showcases, whereby my art enhanced their beautiful vignettes as a part of their vision. Showcases were typically a fundraising event for local causes, which I am proud to be a part of. Recently I was a keynote speaker at a local interior design event for a builders alliance at the Robert Allen Fabric Showroom.

Related: In Business to Make You Click 

What is your top challenge
 and how you have addressed it? My top challenge in today’s marketplace is to keep on top of trends and adapting to those changes. Many people are more price conscious then ever and want instant gratification with fair pricing and quality. My challenge is to find vendors and dealers that offer quality products, while giving my clients unique options. My challenge is to keep abreast of an ever changing market, changes in the design industry and to keep rotating works of art that will sell. Research is an enormous part of my job. I visit trade market events continuously and read trade publications to address my challenges of finding solutions to complete projects.

Who is your most important role model? 
My Parents!

[box_light]Website   Www.accetraarts.com
Facebook   @accetraartsltd
Instagram   @accetraarts[/box_light]

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Edited by The Story Exchange