However, that’s exactly what happened – “Evaday” is a Lithuanian table textile startup founded in Prienai district by a mother and daughter – Daiva Bublienė and Evelina Bublytė.
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From personalized tablecloths, napkins, and placemats for private homes and restaurants to textile rental and even personalized fabrics for famous Lithuanian designers – this is the story Evelina can tell about her company.
According to her, it all started with a personal need. “It was my mother’s idea to start. She wanted to find everything, i.e., all table textiles, in one place. That’s how we started – with tablecloths, napkins,” Evelina said.
Realizing that the idea was good, the mother and daughter took advantage of a European Union funding project, which allowed them to acquire equipment and start production:
“And once we acquired it, we had to get everything up and running for it all to work.”
Renting abandoned buildings in the Prienai district, the energetic women transformed them into a modern textile production workshop. Now, three generations of women from one family work here: in addition to “Evaday” founders Evelina and her mother, their grandmother also works there.
By the way, an important detail is encoded in the English-sounding company name – it’s a combination of the names Evelina and her mother – Daiva.
Areas of Activity and Products
Currently, “Evaday”‘s activities include both retail and wholesale trade, as well as production according to individual orders. However, the main direction remained. This is table textiles:
According to Evelina, although there is no shortage of buyers and orders throughout the year, she has already noticed that the main season is before holidays – Christmas, Easter. Lithuanian-made textile products can be purchased both in Lithuania and abroad, in person and online.
“All our other production is broader. For example, fabric printing, we also laser-cut various cases and placemats for restaurants, engrave logos. We are flexible, we react to market news, and we also offer our own ideas,” said the young woman at the helm of the family business.
Evelina does not hide that it is still a little hard for her to believe that products created in the Prienai district travel to various countries around the world – from Europe to the USA and Australia.
Participation in international exhibitions is of great importance for development:
“For several years now, we have been participating in the largest home decor exhibition in Germany, where buyers and manufacturers from all over the world gather. By establishing contacts, even geographically distant markets become accessible. So far, I would say Australia is the furthest point our placemats have traveled to.”
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Trends: Naturalness and Minimalism
Asked about table decor trends, Evelina says they are similar across Europe. People are returning to natural materials and subtle design. Linen, which was so loved and cherished by older generations of Lithuanians, is especially valued.
“Linen is the top of the tops here, an irreplaceable thing abroad. Aesthetics are also becoming increasingly important – soft colors, minimalism, versatility. In Lithuania, clients also really like the minimalist style. They mostly buy sand-colored, calm textiles that can be matched to many celebrations. With a “calm” base, it’s easier to update later by adding minimal new details,” Evelina said.
According to her, durability is also becoming important: “We see from clients that they increasingly want to decorate their tables with fabric napkins and tablecloths – so they are not disposable.”
Personalized Projects and Collaboration with Clients Hiding Their Identity
Evelina is not one to boast loudly, but over the years of the company’s operation, she has already received exclusive orders from people who do not wish to be named publicly. One such client is a famous Lithuanian designer who ordered fabrics of a special pattern and color for his new collection from the company.
How do such clients find a company established in Prienai? According to Evelina, in this case, they simply saw them at a retail location in one of Vilnius’s shopping centers: “We told them what we could do – that’s how it started.”
Another project the company’s director is very proud of is the special textile placemats used during dinner at the Presidential Palace during the NATO summit.
“We had to meet very high requirements, engrave the presidential logos. But we are used to it – there are all sorts of products: we have laser-cut plywood weather vanes for the Neringa Museum. They are used for educational purposes or as souvenirs. Our products are also at Vilnius Airport – these are Lithuanian attributes – from placemats to scarves,” Evelina said.
Listening to the amount of activities and possibilities, it would seem that many people work here. Evelina shakes her head – the team is small. And the activity itself depends heavily on seasonality: “Before holidays – Christmas, Easter – extra hands are needed, but usually 5-7 people work.”
The young woman also openly talks about how technology affects the work of textile companies: “If you don’t use them, you’ll fall behind. Therefore, sometimes we have to use artificial intelligence, but it still cannot replace a human.”
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