Butterfly Spirits, an artsy business in Carrollton, evolved from tragedy

by Minnie Payne

CARROLLTON — Laura Oates, 49-year-old owner of Butterfly Spirits, has been in business 10 years in Carrollton and like any new company she has her ups and downs.

Oates and her sister, Rhonda Kabu, started making butterfly artwork in Kabu’s kitchen in 1998, until business was profitable enough for them to move to a studio in 1999. Presently, Oates is the sole employee and has been since 2002 when her sister, Rhonda, left the company to return to a former job and a part-time accounting clerk left in 2004 to move out of state.

“Over the past 10 years the business has been blessed with many different venues and at this point I stay open to various directions such as shows, custom orders and commissioned pieces,” she said. “I did a huge project for the Alzheimer’s Unit of a hospital which was used for motivational purposes, and my heart’s desire is to do more similar healing centered artwork.

“With the economy being so stressed right now, I’m very grateful for those big projects.”

In the fall of 1996, Oates’ husband, John, suffered a tragic accident and died.

“I called my boss to tell him of John’s death and to my dismay, he [boss] told me that the entire sales division, me included, of my company had been laid off,” she said. “I was overwhelmed and grief stricken.”

At the time of John’s death, Oates was living in Ohio and because she felt the need to be near family, she moved to Carrollton.

“During this entire traumatic period butterflies constantly surrounded me in that they landed on John’s casket and our two sons’ outstretched hands, as if trying to give me a sign,” Oates said. “As an answer to the sign, my sister, Rhonda, and I studied and researched to learn how to make butterfly art.

“We ordered the necessary supplies, and Butterfly Spirits was born.”

At first, Oates said that their only way of advertising was through word of mouth and various shows, but doors started opening for them.

“I stopped at a garage sale one Saturday morning and the woman having the sale worked at the Dallas World Trade Center,” Oates said. “Through her, I was able to obtain a space in the Hemisphere Design Gallery on the 9th floor of the Dallas World Trade Center.”

Oates said that Ted Varga, a computer technician, spent hundreds of volunteer hours designing a beautiful website for the company.

“He’s a very valuable heartbeat to the business,” she said.

In the past, on special occasions such as shows, when demand for artwork was high, Oates said that she would subcontract employees with disabilities such as lupus and multiple sclerosis to perform simple tasks.

“Giving them (employees) an opportunity to step in and participate as a team pleased me,” she said.

One cannot truly appreciate the intricacy and beauty of Oates’ colorful butterflies in flight without seeing them firsthand. Each piece is carefully made and the acrylic designs are personally signed. Visit this website for more information or call at 972-852-2735 or e-mail at butterflyspirits@gmail.com.

Oates said that she gladly donates a portion of all proceeds to various non-profit organizations whose goals are to help others in need or distress.