Our Story

Emily Holliday and Clara Lee had been friends since childhood. Both being adults and stay at home moms, Clara had already started creating hand painted eggs as a hobby and encouraged Emily to do the same. That was the beginning. They both created and shared designs for the hand painted eggs, just playing with this idea for a short time. One of Emily’s children told her teacher about the eggs and was asked to bring them to school. After taking some of the eggs to school, she called home at lunch and told her mother she had orders for 75 hand painted eggs. This was 1984 and the birth of a home-based business began.

Emily and Clara decided to try their hand at a small local craft show. And in doing so, they began to see the potential for an extra money home-based business and started out doing shows together. Their first “Big Show” was Birmingham Christmas Village in 1986, where they met other craftsmen who gave them information about other craft shows. Using the information they were given, they were not just local anymore, but began traveling to other neighboring states. Clara, having young children, had decided that she no longer desired to travel far away from home. Thus Emily and Clara started doing separate shows and fewer shows together and became independent of each other, but still remaining friends, sharing designs and ideas.

I, [Jim Holliday], helped Emily with the home-based business part-time from the beginning, when I was not driving a truck. In 1988, the egg business had grown big enough that I left truck driving and became a full-time partner with Emily. Emily and I became “The Eggsquisite Egg” and Clara would be “Eggsquisite Egg”.

In 1993, sadly Emily was stricken with cancer [Multiple Myeloma] and passed away February 1, 1995. After we lost Emily to cancer, Clara offered to create hand painted eggs for me for 3 years, and agreed to be paid by the piece for her art-work. After the 3 years, what then will happen to Emily’s part of the business? Will it pass on with her or will fate step in?

In 1998, Frances Lee, no relation to Clara Lee, and a long-time friend of our family, who was a cosmetologist and seamstress turned artist, began to create hand painted eggs for hire, thus “The Eggsquisite Egg” would carry on business as usual. In 2000, Fran became a full-time partner in the business and is now Frances Holliday.​