Joanne D'Alessandro: Hestia Creations

Joanne D'Alessandro and her husband Al took over Hestia Creations in Marblehead, Massachusetts in 2004. The name comes from the Greek goddess of hearth and home, an appropriate name for more than one reason. Hestia's hand-made products include keepsake ornaments depicting New England towns and landmarks. The artistic team at Hestia is comprised of working mothers from the Marblehead area along the north shore of Massachusetts, many of whom have been with the company for more than 10 years.

"We like to say we're experts in collectible memories," says Joanne. Coming from a background in medical research, Hestia has been a new and exciting adventure for her. "Hestia's philosophy is simple. We take the same care in creating our artwork that people take in celebrating their event. We respect that same memory throughout the entire artistic process."

Joanne is a Massachusetts native, born in Haverhill. She has lived in Boston, Gloucester, Topsfield and now Marblehead. She has seen no reason to leave Massachusetts since one can find anything you could ever want here: the seashore, countryside and "big enough" cities. Is there anything Joanne doesn't like about Massachusetts? "Well, maybe the commute", Joanne says. "For years as a medical researcher, I commuted between the North Shore and Boston. But now I've fixed that, and I'm thrilled."

"The artistic process is a collaborative effort, without a doubt. It's a true honor to work with such a talented, fun and dedicated team," Joanne observes. "The best compliment I ever received was from a business next door – they said there is always laughter coming from Hestia. That's such a wonderful thing."