What first drew you to your craft, and what continues to motivate you today?
We started Dovetail in May of 2025. Together, we studied Graphic Design, Fine Art, Business of Art & Design, and Art History at Ringling College of Art + Design in Sarasota. This foundation, combined with our shared love for handmade work, led us to create a shop that reflects who we are as creatives: Bella making linocut prints and Lilli making handbound journals and other functional pieces. Through this work, we hope to create pieces that feel personal, lasting, and meaningful.
There are times when doubt creeps in, and it is easy to question everything. Building something of your own requires vulnerability and trust in the unknown. If it weren’t for Lilli, I don’t know that I would have continued, or even started in the first place. She reminds me of why we began and helps me see the bigger picture when I lose sight of it. We care deeply about creating this work, connecting with people, hearing their stories, and seeing our art bring them joy. But more than anything, we give eachother the motivation to keep going; to believe in what we’re building and to grow it into something meaningful together.
How do you hope your work inspires and impacts your community?
With Dovetail, it started as a way to share our art with our community. But through working together, we saw the power of sharing, teaching, and creating handmade work, and an opportunity to expand that mission to elevate other makers and inspire others to participate in handmade craft. At its heart, Dovetail is about connecting people to the art of craft - to eachother, to emotions, to creation, and to community. We want not only to share our work but also to encourage our community to participate in handmade creation. In a world of efficiency and mass production, there’s something really special about making things with your hands. We hope to spread that message, encouraging those who want to create and make things of their own.
How has your community helped as you have grown your business?
When we first started showing at markets, the vendors next to us were so open to giving us feedback and support, which meant a lot to us newbies in the game. Now it feels good to pay that forward and help other vendors who come to us for advice.
What makes supporting small makers meaningful in today’s world?
These are the people who live next door to you, building up the community and making it what it is. They’re the reason you choose to live in one place over another. They’re what make a place unique, lifting each other up to create something that can’t be found anywhere else in the world in the same way.
We’re surrounded by instant gratification. Everything moves fast, and it’s easy to lose sight of the human element behind what we buy. When you support small makers, you’re investing in real people: their time, their skill, and their passion.
How do local markets and shops help you connect with people beyond just selling a product?
We sell at markets across Sarasota, Bradenton, Tampa, and St. Pete, including Mezzo Market, Indie Flea, St. Pete Sunday Market, and more. We’re also grateful to have our work carried at Coastal House Vintage, Art House, Cosa, and a growing list of retail partners. These local spaces let us connect with a vibrant, supportive creative community. We get to hear people’s stories, receive feedback, and build relationships. These face-to-face interactions inspire us, help us grow as makers, and remind us why we do what we do.
How did you come up with the name Dovetail Studio?
We chose the name Dovetail based on the dovetail joint, known for being one of the strongest woodworking joints and often made by hand. It felt like the perfect symbol for what we’re building; something strong and lasting, created with care and attention to detail. The name also reflects two different skillsets: Lilli works in bookbinding and woodworking, while Bella focuses on printmaking. Together, we combine our skills to make something greater than either of us could do alone. We’re able to experiment, learn from eachother, and produce work that blends our skills in ways neither of us could achieve on our own. And as a bonus, we have a really cute dove in our logo.
We hope you enjoyed getting to know us a little better. You can find this and more in our independent publication, Hands at Work, which takes an inside look at the St. Petersburg, FL creative community.
Keep up to date with Dovetail Studio blogs, product launches, workshops, and pop-up market schedules by signing up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page. Thank you for taking the time to create with us!
