THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 15, 1995 TAG: 9511160732
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: EARNING A LIVING IN VIRGINIA BEACH
SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines
David and Debbie Reilly are surrounded by angels. Not just one or two, mind you, but 400 of them at a time.
The little celestial-themed beings hang in various stages of adornment and dress within the confines of The Springles Shop, a business owned and operated by the Reillys out of their Indian Lakes home.
``There's a lot of turmoil in the world,'' said Debbie Reilly, 34. ``I guess everybody wants something to look to (that will) look out for them.''
The Reillys' angels are made year-round. They are framed with brass wire and dipped into a liquid plastic that hardens. The smaller versions are about 3 to 4 inches tall, weigh about 3 grams apiece and sell for $12.
The Reillys also make a larger version, about 10 inches tall, which sells for about $39. The large angels have 70 different solder points, David Reilly says.
It takes about 12 steps to assemble a whole angel, from using a jig or frame to create the wired wings and bodies, to soldering the two together and coating them in plastic, followed by a coat of paint.
The angels, available in opal, iridescent and white, hold one of a variety of objects - a trumpet, hymn book, ribbon or sword.
No matter what trinket an angel may hold, they are not representative of a religion or holiday, Reilly says.
``We've never pushed religion in the making of the process,'' said David Reilly, 44. ``Most people buy them based on themselves.''
The Reillys have about a dozen angels suspended throughout their home - hanging from a ceiling fan cord, protruding from wire stems in plants and even dangling from light fixtures.
As for the shop, the couple routinely work on up to 400 angels at one time. It takes about a week to create and finish that many.
Last year, they sold 3,200 angels to wholesalers.
Their angels are sold in several area stores including Angels & Inspirations and Dolphin Tales, both in Virginia Beach; Cilla's Hallmark Shop on Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake; and the Christmas Attic in Waterside.
Other wholesale customers are as far away as Wyoming, Montana, California and Ohio.
The couple also take their angels to craft shows, including Santa's Stocking at the Kempsville Recreation Center this weekend.
Inside the plastic box that houses each angel is the story behind The Springles Shop.
The business was started by Joe and Gay Fox in Black Mountain, N.C., in 1966.
Fox, a brilliant man with a resume a mile long, retired and sold his business to David Reilly in 1988. Reilly met Fox through his brother, who also lived in Black Mountain.
Along with the business came a dozen or more hand-made jigs that Fox created to form the angel shapes. There's a different jig for the wings, the bodies and the item they hold, such as the hymn books.
The shop the Reillys built to create the angels is actually an addition to their home. Inside the 800-square-foot shop, David Reilly has created an elaborate system of pulleys, chains, racks and movable work stations to make the process easier.
The information booklet enclosed with each angel says that the angels are ``handcrafted by little bitty elves with little bitty hands.''
There's a bit of truth to that. The Reillys' three oldest children - Merredith, 13; Megan, 12; and Kenneth, 8 - help to make the angels and even earn a small salary.
Debbie Reilly is the principal worker and overseer of the shop. She works in between caring for her 7-month-old son, Jeremiah.
``I never thought I'd be making angels,'' said Debbie Reilly, a North Carolina native. ``It's been a good living for us. The bills get paid and the kids are fed.''
David Reilly, a Tennessee native, takes care of the mechanical end of things like fixing a broken jig or whipping up a more durable liquid plastic. Most of his time, however, is spent hanging wallpaper for the couple's wallpaper business, D.A. Reilly and Associates.
Although David Reilly bought the angel-making business seven years ago, it wasn't until he met Debbie that he began to take the venture seriously.
Last year was the first year the couple ever made money off the angels, says Debbie Reilly.
David and Debbie Reilly met in 1990 and were married a year later. They joke that he ``inherited a wife and three kids from her previous marriage'' and she inherited ``angels.''
``It was a cheap date for me. I'd say, `C'mon, let's make some angels,' '' David Reilly says with a laugh. MEMO: The Springles Shop can be reached by calling 467-5565 or writing: The
Springles Shop, P.O. Box 64352, Virginia Beach, Va. 23467.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by CHARLIE MEADS
David and Debbie Reillys' angels are framed with brass wire and
dipped into a liquid plastic that hardens. The smaller versions are
about 3 to 4 inches tall, weigh about 3 grams apiece and sell for
$12.
by CNB