Today, the awesome is found between two friends, Emily and Julia. In 2016, with Julia struggling to find work, the two friends launched Dance Happy Designs — a vibrant accessories brand featuring handmade, screen-printed textiles. This is even more remarkable because Julia has Down Syndrome, but where some people saw the challenges, they saw an opportunity. They were determined to make it work. The two women built Dancy Happy Designs from the ground up. Julia is the creative one, and Emily is more the business-minded one. Julia’s original shapes and patterns became the brand’s signature, adorning home and lifestyle products with joyful, one-of-a-kind designs. Dance Happy Designs now partners with retail giants like Nordstrom, along with over 40 boutique and specialty stores — a feat few small businesses achieve and an extraordinary accomplishment for one co-founded by someone with Down syndrome. Doing amazing things and defying limitations THAT’S AWESOME.
