ALEXA’S ANGELS–OUR STORY
Beth & Steve Lang with their four children (left to right), Josh, Alexa, Eli and Emma Rose. And Rocco the Rat Terrier
People often ask us, “What is the story of Alexa’s Angels?”, and before answering, I think to myself, “Which part?”. Because really, like any good story, it has many chapters. If I had to go back to the very beginning, I would say our story began in 1995 from very humble beginnings - more specifically my dining room table. It was just prior to the holiday season and my mother was visiting from out of town, mainly to catch up on much-needed “grandma-time” with our second child, Alexa, who was just about to turn one year old. Being the over-achieving, crafty-minded individuals my mom and I both are, we decided to make homemade gifts for family and friends. Little did we know the resulting angel pins created from mismatched jewelry findings, crystals and pearls would be the foundation and launch of Alexa’s Angels! Seeing how these small gifts seemed to brighten people’s day, we decided to donate a few to local hospitals. Having ourselves recently lost a father and husband to cancer, we wanted to encourage others dealing with illness and grief. We began designing Angels with inspirational names, as well as sending along a message of comfort, hope and encouragement. We wanted the recipient of the Angel to know that they were not alone in their journey. In early 1999, on the suggestion of a friend who owned a local gift store (and not even knowing that such a thing as the “gift industry” existed!), we packed our bags and headed to Dallas for our first wholesale gift show. The surprisingly positive reaction and enthusiasm from customers let us know we were definitely on the right track with our combination of affordable, stylish, gift jewelry with inspirational messages, and, I guess as they say, the rest is history. In the ensuing years, we expanded our line to include necklaces, bracelets and earrings - always keeping true to our initial message. In the summer of 2001, we were the original company to add the prayer box charm to a bracelet. Little did we know what comfort the Prayer Box Bracelet would bring to so many of us as our nation struggled with the events of 9/11. With the popularity of that one item, Alexa’s Angels grew over 400% in 2002 and today, with over 150 products and 6,000 accounts nationwide, we are well on our way to being one of the largest private employers in our small town of Windsor, Colorado. So, while there are many parts to this story for me-a dream, a business, a ministry, a livelihood, and (dare I hope) a legacy-I eagerly await the next chapter. I find comfort in the fact that our hard work and vision give us the opportunity every day to accomplish our mission to promote connections-sharing our message of hope, comfort and encouragement for many years to come.
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