Alumna Turns Her Passion Into a Career
Amy Winter
Department: Art
Major:
Art
Class: 2006
Amy Winter ’06 began collecting vintage jewelry after she received a brooch from her grandmother when she was little. Over the years, her collection expanded to include larger items such as lamps and furniture. Though the concept for her business has long been established, the reality of bringing it to life happened by chance.
After graduating from Otterbein with an art degree, Amy took a job working as a front desk manager in a dental office. “It just wasn’t me,” she said. “I wasn’t as happy as I knew I could be.”
A native of Westerville, Winter happened to walk by a vacant storefront for rent in Uptown in May. While the dream of owning her own business still seemed far off, she called about the space anyway and, as she says, everything fell into place. Less than three months later, on July 27, 2012, Amy opened Edwin Loy Home Designs at 12 W. College Ave.
From jewelry and artwork to China and furniture, Edwin Loy offers a variety of vintage items – some in their original state and others, including a bedroom set and hanging lamp, have been repurposed by Winter.
“I love the character and quality. I imagine it all has a story. There is so much beauty – it’s an art form in a sense,” Winter said of the vintage pieces in her store.
“I go to a lot of estate and tax sales, auctions and shop online. I like to take things and give them new life to make someone else happy instead of throwing them away,” she said.
Edwin Loy not only embodies Winter’s passion for all things vintage, but her love for art as well. She wants to help local artists by featuring their artwork in her store each month. “As an artist myself, I know how tough it can be for artists to get people to notice their work,” she said. “I just like to help them out.”
So what’s in a name? Edwin Loy is combination of Winter’s family names. Winter shares her passion for collecting vintage pieces with her aunt, so Edwin is a combination of her aunt’s last name, Edward, and her own last name, Winter. Loy was the name of Winter’s great grandfather.
Winter said her family, as well as the Westerville community, has been very supportive of her new career.
“I’m glad I’m in Westerville. The community is so strong and welcoming,” she said. “The customers are excited and it’s really just exceeded my expectations.”