A Family Affair
Sign here, please: Mom and daughters team up for creativity with The Three
The Three creates hand-painted signs using recycled wood for special events.
Invitations were the first order of business. Photography and sign-makingfollowed.
Chic yet rustic wooden signs are appropriate accents for an outdoor wedding.
Creativity runs in the Bonneau family. Mom Marsha and daughters Chandra (now Chen) and Aubrey comprise The Three — which, interestingly, doesn’t refer to the three ladies but to their three disciplines: invitations, photography and wooden signs.
Like a good mother, Marsha remembers fondly her daughters’ homemade projects, including one the girls gifted their mom for Christmas when they were in elementary school. “It was a laminated and bound catalog, with pictures of the girls and prices of the outfits they wore.” In 2006, these young ladies put their craftiness to good use and helped their mom start up a business making invitations for events. And they did it from their upstairs bedroom.
Years later, the trio opened a Farmers Branch office. They added photography to the business mix — a logical next step for these budding businesswomen, whose clients were often in need of a photographer.
It seemed inevitable that The Three would introduce yet another creative element to the business, because the family comes from a long line of do-it-yourself entrepreneurs. “All three of us were involved in our family business of rehabbing distressed homes,” Marsha says. “We aren’t afraid of getting our hands dirty.”
The magical moment occurred when the three women went to a bridal show and displayed a wooden sign promoting their business. “Someone asked if we could make a sign for her wedding, and it was a hit,” Marsha remembers. Now The Three rents and sell hand-painted signs for weddings — from rehearsals and ceremonies to restrooms, menus and parking. They also make commercial signs for J. Crew.
The Three starts with salvaged wood for their sophisticated signage; sometimes Marsha and her daughters even pick up wooden scraps from the side of the road. For custom work they can distress new wood or tailor a sign according to a customer’s taste, whether it’s modern, rustic or contemporary.
“The signs are not only informative, but they also serve as natural décor for outdoor settings,” Marsha says. “They also add great personality and help define the space.” We can also imagine them decorating a child’s room or nursery or acting as a fun accent in a home office.
The synergy among these three ladies contributes to the success of their company. Marsha’s good luck is not lost on her, and she admits that she and her daughters are very close. In fact, they hope to recruit the middle daughter — who currently lives in Seattle — to join them. For now, The Three keeps busy noting, snapping and signing.
