New store in Delta Township customizes clothes and more, while fostering connections
DELTA TWP. — The interior of Better Than Ur's Designs in Delta Township is like a collage of influences from Anna Escobedo's life.
Her boyfriend spray-painted the storefront's sign. The business's logo, an anime sketch of herself, was drawn by her teenage daughter. Her son does the molding for safety keychains and helps with clothing prints. And down the hall from the store's entrance, themed rooms feature a variety of different items — everything from loose leaf tea to handcrafted soaps and CBD-infused edibles — from other local small businesses.
"I'm very blessed with the family that I have as well as the businesses that I've been able to connect with," said Escobedo, a lifelong Lansing resident and Everett High School graduate. "I'm happy."
The store, located at 602 Elmwood Road, Suite B in Delta Township, opened at the start of November. But Escobedo said the business itself had been growing organically for several years.
Escobedo said she's always been a crafty person, whether it was quilting or making tutus or other skills she picked over the years.
It all started in 2019 when her daughter drew the anime sketch. Just for fun, Escobedo decided to try her hand at making the design into a T-shirt using printable vinyl.
Later, when the family wore the shirts around, friends and strangers alike would give compliments. Soon enough, those conversations started leading to personal design requests.
All of a sudden, Escobedo had customers.
When the Lane Bryant shop where she worked as a manager folded in 2020, her family decided to go all in. The following year, they took their merchandise on the road, driving all across Michigan and as far as Georgia and Texas, selling products and networking.
"My family, period, we all network our butts off to expand and for people to know who we are. Like my little one will walk up (and say) 'We own Better Than Ur's Designs. It's in the name,'" said Escobedo, a mother of three.
As the business has expanded, so has the list of products they can customize by request. Escobedo said Better Than Ur's Designs now can customize all types of clothing, cups, candles, mousepads, roach clips, trays, jewelry and more. In addition, all clothes are now made through a sublimation printing process, which Escobedo said makes the clothing prints more durable.
Escobedo describes herself as a spiritual person, and she said it's personally important that her store reflects the positive energy with which she lives her life. As her work has taken off, she said she's wanted to share her space with other small business owners to foster a community.
One of the hallmarks of Better Than Ur's Designs is its weekend pop-up shops, where the space hosts local artists, designers and other small business owners to sell products together. Escobedo has also begun holding networking events for other small business owners finding their footing.
"I feel like lot of times, when we're small business owners and we're just starting, our family doesn't understand the amount of work and time that goes into running said business," Escobedo said. "So, I want to give that community to where you have all of these people that understand what you're going through, and you don't feel like you're alone."
The store's social mission goes even further, raising donations for a different charity each month through a gift basket raffle. This month, the store is partnering with The Fretail Store, a free store at the Lansing Mall run by Cardboard Prophets founder Mike Karl.
"And then every weekend if you come in and shop with any of the vendors, you enter into another drawing to win a different gift basket, so there's perks in coming in to shop," Escobedo said.
Escobedo said people can request designs over the phone, by email or by coming into the shop to chat with her.
Contact reporter Jared Weber at 517-582-3937 or jtweber@lsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: New Delta Township store customizes clothes, fosters connections
