Sue Sitter/PCT Wild Minds Studio owner Daunne Heilman, left, stands in her Makers Space with her daughter, store manager Bailey Nelson.

Since founding I Design 20 years ago, owner Daunne Heilman says she has seen “monumental changes” in her firm.

Heilman and I Design will celebrate 20 years in business Wednesday, March 17, at Wild Minds Studio.

Heilman says she’s grown and shaped her marketing, design and retail firm to its present form “just because you have to keep changing with the times.”

Since 2013, I Design has provided unique design and marketing services to business in Rugby and beyond in the former J.C. Penney building at 111 2nd St. SE. The move from I Design’s former Main Avenue location spurred growth in other businesses, giving them space and other help to take off on their own.

Providing space and help to other ventures came naturally to Heilman and I Design, a graphic arts, marketing and retail firm dedicated to creating.

To celebrate creativity, Heilman branched out to use the full building, renting spaces to photography studios upstairs, one owned by her daughter, Bailey Nelson, who also manages I Design and works as the firm’s “jack-of-all trades,” according to Heilman.

Other smaller spaces upstairs are available for rent by small businesses.

In December 2018, Heilman placed the creative, retail and business space together under one name: Wild Minds Studio.

Unique items such as drinking tumblers and clothing displayed in the front of the building have room for engraved messages and other ways to personalize them and staff at I Design are ready to help with that. Other clothing items bear logos from the Rugby Panthers and other local favorite sports teams. Gourmet foods, soft drinks and other treats round out the gift selection.

Heilman says her firm gives fledgling entrepreneurs a boost by creating point-of-sale displays and giving other help with marketing.

One display made by Heilman features packages of Dakota Dirt brand coffee on a mini stepladder with the company’s logo etched into a thin board atop the structure.

On the other side of the retail floor, the studio maintains what Heilman calls the “Makers Space.”

The Good Samaritan Hospital Association Auxiliary used the space during the first weekend in March for a pop-up boutique for the hospital gift shop.

“This space is fairly new,” Heilman said. “We started this right before COVID hit, intentionally anticipating people would use this for arts and crafts.”

“We do some classes here,” she added. “People can use this space for birthday parties and things like that. We charge a fee for it but we donated the use of it for the hospital auxiliary,” she explained. “It worked out really well for them and it brought nice traffic downtown, so it’s a win-win.”

Heilman said she helps creative people launch their products in the space, too.

“If a maker is under 18 or still in high school or college, we sell their product for them with no commission. We show them how it goes into the computer; we put it on display,” Heilman said. “Usually, we help them make tags and brand their product so it has a marketable appeal. Then, at the end of each month, they get a report showing what they sold. So, it’s a good way to start a little business. We don’t take a commission on that. It’s a draw for us and a good way teach kids how to make an income out of their talents.”

“We’re enjoying the space,” Heilman added. “It’s so universal. We have birthday parties booked where they come and do a craft project and parents can use the whole space for their party and leave. You can leave the mess behind. We made it pretty universal so it could be used for lots of different things.”

Another business, Release Point Therapy, has set up space in the back of the studio, Heilman noted.

Owner Tamie Bisbee, Leeds, offers fascial stretch therapy, a system of joint stretching to relieve pain and optimize function for joints.

“It works well for her because we can market her even when she’s not here,” Heilman said, adding, “Her clients have somebody to greet them and visit them and she doesn’t have to pay a receptionist. So, it’s just kind of a win-win for everybody. It’s sort of a business incubation. Our gals will greet clients and we have a lobby area where they can wait.”

With all the changes to I Design over the years, Heilman said she hasn’t noticed how quickly time has passed.

“We kind of realized, it’s 20 years this month,” she noted. We’re going to do our celebration on St. Patrick’s Day.

We’re calling it “Lucky Us,” Heilman said. “Ten years ago, we had a celebration on the 17th. We called it the “Lucky to Be Here” party. So, for this 10 years, we figured we’d do it on St. Patrick’s Day again.”

Heilman said the business will be open after regular hours that evening with green drinks and door prizes for guests. “Because really, our I Design side has been here the longest and it’s really geared more toward our business traffic and organizations,” she said of the design and marketing firm.

“So basically, come to see how far we’ve come,” Heilman said.