She went on to study at The Modern, graduating first in her class.
Perhaps you have glimpsed Smith’s hand-designed bandanas sold around town at Ghostlight Coffee or in the Dayton Art Institute’s gift shop. She runs her business, Sugar Camp, out of a Louis Lott-designed 1910 house in the Schantz Park neighborhood of Oakwood, where she lives with her husband Rodger, 11-year-old Leo and a terrier mix named Minnie.
Sugar Camp derives its name from the Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) who secretly worked in Dayton’s National Cash Register corporation to decode German cipher machines. The women stayed in cabins in a former sugar maple grove known as Sugar Camp.
(NOT) A STARVING ARTIST
Before starting Sugar Camp, Smith worked as a designer for various agencies, including Mead, where she learned trend forecasting.
“I got into print and pattern and illustration. I went on cool trips to New York. That was amazing and opened up a lot for me.”
Her next job was at Evenflo, designing baby care.
“It was a lot cooler than it sounds! I learned a ton about textiles and designing fabric with repeat patterns.”
THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE
“It’s super important to me that my bandanas aren’t just a pretty piece of fabric. I try to put some kind of empowering message or saying into them. I tend to talk about progressive causes and things that benefit women and the LGBTQ community. I want people to put it on and feel really good about themselves or give it to someone who could use a boost. That means it will be more of an heirloom piece than just fast fashion.”
Credit: Hannah Kasper
Credit: Hannah Kasper
HALF CAFF
“I get up pretty early. Something that helps me have a routine as a freelancer is I have my son who needs to go to school every day. We get up about 6:30. I need time to get myself and him ready. I always start out with a half-caff coffee. I have issues with autoimmune stuff so I need to lay off the caffeine.”
INTROVERT/EXTROVERT
“I like to do the NY Times Spelling Bee to ease into my day. I get rolling with little things, answering emails. I have ADHD so I have to keep all of my stuff organized. I have this really elaborate planner. I list all my clients, whatever I have on deck, meetings. Even though I’m an introvert, I like the energy of having other people around, so sometimes I will go work in a coffeeshop. I love Pettibone and Ghostlight South Park.”
PLANNING POP-UPS
“During the holidays I’ll do three or four events a month. I would describe them as indie craft pop-ups. I go to Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo. I start with a layout mock-up on Illustrator. I take all the little bits of my booth and move it around with both an overhead schematic and a frontal view. It helps me realize in actual space what my booth will look like. I will do an inventory of my product to make sure I’ve got enough. I load it up in a suitcase.”
TAKING CARE
“I go where my energy lets me because of my chronic illness. It’s been a very long process, over 20 years of trying to decode what’s wrong with me. I have IgA Nephropathy, a kidney disease. I have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, so my allergies are in overdrive all the time. I have chronic migraine and an autoimmune disease called Sjögren’s. On average I have 2 doctor appointments a week. Last week I had five. This has been the year where I was like, ‘I’m going to figure stuff out.’”
LEGACY BRAND
“I’ll jump into freelance graphic design projects. Right now I have work with Smales Pretzel Bakery doing their holiday merch program. Any time Emma Smales, who owns it, has an idea for a shirt or something, she gets a hold of me. Smales has been handed down in her family since her great-grandparents and has been in the same place on Xenia Avenue for over 100 years. The last conversation I had with my grandfather was about Smales Pretzels and my dad’s been taking me there since I was a baby, so it means a lot to me to work with such a legacy brand.”
WORK LUNCH
“A lot of times I’ll get really hyper focused and forget to eat. I usually eat at home but one of the nice things about being a freelancer is I can go meet friends for lunch. We might meet up at Gather by Ghostlight or MidDay. Anywhere that has a sandwich on gluten-free bread has my heart.”
ALL THE QUESTIONS
“Once lunch is done I might have a little time to work before picking up Leo from school. I love that I have the opportunity to do that. That was the hardest thing for me when I was working full-time in a corporate environment. There was no way I could drop him off or pick him up. That’s my opportunity to ask him all the questions.”
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
DECOMPRESS
“We come home and he gets a little screen time to decompress. I’ll do more work until my husband gets home. I’ll chat with him about his day and what I’m working on. Then I might stop for the day, but a lot of times I’ll work when my brain wants to work.”
EVENING ENGAGEMENTS
“We have dinner and then occasionally I’ll have some kind of engagement. I might go to a meeting. I work with Gem City Action for advocacy. I’m on the Dayton Art Institute Associate Board and made all the merch for Oktoberfest. Or Leo might have Taekwondo in the evening.”
GUILTY PLEASURE
“I love Disney World. My guilty pleasure is that I watch Disney bloggers to unwind. It’s goofy as hell. It’s basically people who go to Disney and tell you about a new ride that launched or new food. I love the escapism of Disney and I love it from a designer perspective, looking at all the little details that somebody has put into every inch.”
FUNCTIONAL BEAUTY
“I loved textile design and knew that I wanted to do that in some way. I wanted something people were going to cherish. ‘Utilitarian’ is also the word I like to use. You can make a lunch bag out of the bandana it or use it as a pillow or table covering. A lot of artists and ceramicists buy them to pull their hair back. It’s very midwestern.”
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
MORE DETAILS
Sugar Camp products including bandanas, handmade leather cuffs, tote bags, and buttons are carried locally at Brim, Indie West, the Dayton Art Institute Museum Shop, Ghostlight and Urban Handmade in Yellow Springs. Upcoming pop-ups include Handmade Dayton at Eudora Brewing Company on November 24 and Holly Days at the Arcade on Dec. 11-13.
More info at sugarcampdaytono.com and on Instagram.
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