It all started when I was a child...
Hi, I'm Debbie Weiss. Ever since I can remember, I have always loved hearts. There’s just something about them that brings me joy and makes me smile each and every time I see one. Maybe it’s because hearts represent love or because I love the colors red and pink, but it doesn’t really matter.
Hearts make me happy!
Memories turned into daydreams
Back in 1984, when I was in college in Washington, DC, I discovered a store in the Old Post Office Pavilion where they only sold items containing hearts. I remember walking through the doors and wanting to never leave. I was enveloped by a sea of red and pink hearts. My eyes didn't know where to look first and I wished I could grab a sleeping bag and spend the night there. Once I knew it existed I had the need to visit it often. I would beg my friends to accompany me to the building over and over again.
I knew one day it would happen...
I vowed that one day I would own my own heart store. I wasn’t sure if it would be the particular store in Washington, D.C. or one I would open on my own, but one way or another it was going to happen. Naturally, since graduating from college, my life has taken many unexpected twists and turns and my dream was quickly forgotten. Forgotten until November of 2022 when some mindless internet scrolling jogged my memory.
It's never too late to start
My initial thought was that my dream had been just a silly young woman’s fantasy but then sparks began to go off in my mind. Why was it a silly fantasy? Just because it’s almost 40 years later doesn’t mean it’s too late. It’s never too late to make your dreams a reality and I knew at that moment I was going to make it happen.
My dream is now a reality
Coming up with a name was also tricky. Sure, I had lots of great ideas but most were already taken. One afternoon, I was eating my most favorite food in the whole world, ice cream, when the answer, which should have been obvious, hit me. There is something else that brings me as much joy as hearts-rainbow sprinkles!
A Sprinkle of Hearts was officially born!
xo Debbie
Photo credit: Stefania Schiano