Snap judgment: Local educator thinks outside the box with photos By MATT ARMES Staff Writer
The biggest advantage of thinking outside the box is having another perspective. With Michelle Young, it led to a unique photo album.
Young, a Bowie resident and experienced special education teacher, has recently begun marketing a unique photo album she created that serves as a decorative feature for the home while preserving long-term memories.
"I was home on maternity leave with my youngest son last February, and I really just wanted to create memories for baby," said Young, mother of three.
"I was just looking for something unique," she explained. "While I was at home, I remember watching TV, and I saw a scrapbooker do something with a box. Being a special education teacher, I decided to make it myself!"
Young took her idea and ran with it, developing the product in June and sometimes getting up at 2 or 3 a.m. to hone her idea a little more as it "took on life of its own."
She explained that the "Out-Of-The-Box Memories Photo Album" has an advantage over other albums because of its design. Whereas the traditional photo album simply opens like a book, this album is a decorative box that can enhance a living room coffee table and be converted into a photo album.
Word of mouth helped the product's popularity grow, and Young was soon busier than she expected.
"One person saw it and purchased three of them!" she exclaimed. "And at the time I was making them by hand. But with such a high demand, I knew I needed a better way to get it out there."
Almost one year later, Young serves as the owner of Just-N-Tyme LLC, the company that produces the Out-Of-The-Box photo album. She decided to market the photo album nationally on her Web site, www.boxedmemories.com, in February, a decision which has paid dividends.
"Things are pretty crazy right now," she laughs. "We even appeared on 'The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch' this past April. Since then, business has taken on a life of its own. Obviously I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing."
This photo album has quickly become a popular gift for expecting parents and engaged couples across the country.
Additionally, various charitable programs will benefit from the sale of the albums based on the color of the album purchased. For example, the Susan G. Komen Maryland Affiliate will receive donations from the pink box albums; Howard University will receive donations from the blue box albums; the Lung Cancer Alliance will receive donations from the green box albums; and the National Alzheimer's Association will receive donations from the purple box albums.
Young explained that each of the organizations carried a personal weight for her. Her mother, who does not smoke, is recovering from lung cancer surgery she had in February. "Not only were we shocked by the diagnosis, but we learned that more women and nonsmokers are being diagnosed at a rapid rate," said. Young.
"I call the album 'the box that keeps on giving' because not only do you get a really unique product, but the purchase also goes to support medical research and education."
With over 10 years of experience teaching special education in several Maryland and D.C. area schools, Young is expanding her market to reach schools as well.
"We are getting an enormous response for high school fund raisers," she said. "That seems to be an enormous undertaking, but we're ready for the challenge."
She added that the company has received requests for fund-raising information from several schools in Prince George's County, and she also plans to branch out to the surrounding counties.
Young admitted she had no clue that the demand for her idea would reach this level of popularity, and she was quick to credit her family members for all of their support.
"I think they saw the vision early on, and my husband turned our den into an office for me," she said. "As I presented it to other people, they'd see the vision, too. Who would have thought you could create a photo album out of a box?"
"I knew I had something unique, but I really didn't know I had something this unique," she added.
"Now it's really taking on a life of its own. People truly believe that they can step outside of the box of conventional thinking, and something like this is possible for them."
