Life & Work with Yolindi de Gouveia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yolindi de Gouveia.

Hi Yolindi; so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My daughter Carealee and I started UniikPillows from our home 6 years ago. Our love for throw pillows and interior design led us to create unique and fun throw pillow covers to change up during the year. As the demand for our pillow covers grew, so did the demand for high-quality pillow inserts. We rented our first commercial office space within a year and quickly outgrew that! We have since moved to our current 4000 sq. ft manufacturing facility. Our pillow cover brand has grown exponentially, and our pillows are in stores and boutiques worldwide. We also offer full pillow inserts in all shapes and sizes. Since we offer custom sizing on all our products, we have become known for our versatility and quick turnaround times. Our services have grown to include custom patio cushions, embroidery, and sewing services for interior designers and workrooms across Arizona. We are proud to sewn patio cushions for some of the largest resorts in Arizona. We create beautiful outdoor spaces for hotels, resorts, and custom homes. Our sewing services produce incredible pillows for customers’ homes, and our inserts adorn many a couch in Arizona!

Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Growth is always a challenging road. Starting any business is challenging as one navigates the expenses of running and growing a business. During the year with Covid, we offered our unique challenges. We had to put our pillows on pause and sew masks for a year to keep our doors open. Our masks did incredibly well, as we made custom sizes, shapes, and designs. We still get requests for our masks occasionally, which we take as a compliment to our quality workmanship and dedication to providing the best possible product and quality.

Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
Carealee is an incredibly creative and true artist. She has been able to put her talents to use by creating our wonderful pillow collections. She has also branched out and started to do custom embroidered grad cap toppers for graduates. She does incredible work and has grown the embroidery side of our business by leaps and bounds. Offering custom handcrafted products of the highest quality, paired with wonderful customer service, is a recipe for success. Both our custom grad cap toppers and pillow covers and inserts are fully customizable and provide the flexibility to create something unique for our customers. We also offer artists the opportunity to have their art on pillows. We have a wonderful selection of artists that we produce pillows for. This is a fascinating part of our business, as we help other creative people create beautiful pillows!

What matters most to you? Why?
We manufacture all our products. Being a woman-owned US manufacturing business and offering excellent quality products and great customer service is very important to us. Working with other Arizona manufacturers and servicing our local customers enhances the local economy and provides quality locally produced goods. We’re just a group of creative women who love sewing—creating unique and beautiful new cushions and pillows for your home, office, and space.

Pricing:

• Pillow Covers from $20-$60
• Pillow Inserts – varies depending on size
• Patio Cushions – varies by project

Contact Info:

• Website: www.uniikpillows.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uniikpillows/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UniikPillows

Image Credits
Two peas in a pod photography