Meet the Vendor: Lucky Dog Designs

By Sarah Hurley

Welcome back to the Minkology blog, folks! I am pleased to announce that we’re starting a series of blog articles dedicated to showcasing the work of the exceptionally talented local artists at Minkology. This month, we’re talking to Mary Luck, the entrepreneur behind Lucky Dog Designs.

Five years ago, Mary Luck received her first sewing machine as a birthday gift from her three sons. She doesn’t remember adding the item to her wish list, but her eldest insists that he’d once heard her mention wanting one. “It almost looked like a Fisher Price sewing machine,” she laughs. “It was that small.”

Newly fifty-one, Mary had never sewn before anything in her life. Her best friend, having recently taken up quilting and other fiber arts, came over to help her learn how to make a simple envelope pillow. They set up shop in one of Mary’s spare rooms, found a YouTube tutorial, and got to work. Several hours later, Mary had sewn her first pillow and officially caught the sewing bug.

Unfortunately, she also caught a bad case of Covid-19, which—although she felt fine—prevented her from returning to work for several weeks. She used this time to indulge her new hobby and became addicted to making envelope pillows in all shapes and sizes. She soon added drawstring bags to her project repertoire and participated in her first pop-up shop with the name Lucky Dog Designs at Asheboro Popcorn in the spring of 2021.

A few months later, she participated in a holiday pop-up shop at Minkology, after which Wendi asked if she’d be interested in selling her items as a permanent vendor at the shop. Mary happily accepted their offer, and soon after began making what would later become her best-seller—her baby blankets, each lovingly handcrafted and featuring its own unique set of colors and fabrics. Thus far, she has sewn over fifty baby blankets to sell or give away as gifts, and no two are the same.

Having long since graduated from her first “Fisher Price” model, Mary is now on her third sewing machine and still loves her work with Lucky Dog Designs. Although the recent closing of Joann’s Fabrics, where she once purchased all of her materials, is worrisome, she plans to design a new product—baby burp cloths, which can be made from much smaller fabric remnants—to stock at Minkology until she locates a new fabric supplier.

Mary loves having her work at Minkology because the shop is so community-focused, prioritizing local artists and craftspeople and promoting their work within her hometown of Asheboro, NC. She loves to see customers enjoying the items she makes, especially as a mother knowing her baby blankets will provide comforts to infants for years to come. She says that her work is “nothing complicated” and “probably anyone could learn to do it in a matter of days,” but it’s rewarding when people see her brand’s tag on a gift and realize it’s handmade with love.

Going forward, Mary wants to maintain the “sweet and simple” vision Lucky Dog Designs is known for. She plans to keep her business small, local, and fun—the product of a hobby that she finds relaxing and fulfilling. You can find Lucky Dog Designs products at Minkology and occasionally at pop-up shops around Asheboro, NC. If you would like to commission a custom order, contact Mary via cell phone at 336-302-5135.