Fall 2015 – Audrey takes an Organic Chemistry Lab Class at Queens College, sparking her interest in creating natural body-care products.
Christmas 2015 – Audrey bottles her handmade lavender and grapefruit lotion as gifts for friends and family, receiving great feedback. (She eventually does the same for Christmas 2016, expanding her recipe with new scents including cedarwood and blood orange.)
Summer 2016 – Audrey salvages around 30 of the 45rpm vinyl records and starts making dreamcatchers as a way to reuse and recycle them. Originally giving them away as gifts, Audrey got positive feedback and tons of inquiries.
March 31, 2017 – AudreysAlternatives Instagram page was up and running
April 2, 2017 – Audrey’s Alternatives made its first sale as an Etsy shop
January 2018 – Audrey sells her first commissioned paintings and has postcards printed of her paintings inspired by Rochester NY
March 11, 2018 – AudreysAlternatives.com website officially launched, eliminating the need for an Etsy shop.
October 2018 – Through Instagram posts and word of mouth, Audrey starts baking at home on commission for friends and family.
November 2018 – Through her job at a local restaurant, Audrey completes training and is certified as a Food Safety Manager by the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals.
December 2019 – Audrey is gifted an Xyron Creative Station, allowing magnets and stickers to be added to the product line.
April 20th 2020 – Audrey registers as a home processor to sell food products from her home kitchen.
April 26th 2020 – Audrey is listed as a local artist on RocMadeGoods.com
April 28th 2020 – Audrey’s Alternatives is registered with the IRS as a business with an Employee Identification Number.
April 30th 2020 – Audrey registers with NYS for a Sales Tax Certificate of Authority in accordance with local business laws.
May 2020 – Audrey’s Alternatives starts offering baked goods and Audrey starts taking commissions for cooked meals during the covid-19 pandemic.
May 4th 2020 – Certificate of Individual Doing Business Under Assumed Name / Sole Proprietor form notarized & approved.
November 2020 – Audrey stops working in local restaurants and focuses on her home business full-time. She fine tunes her menu of baked goods and works to fill custom orders.
2021 – Audrey gets married in June, changing her last name from Lahman to LaGar. She gives birth to her son in November.
December 2022 – Audrey changes the business name from “Audrey’s Alternatives” to “Audrey’s Alchemy” to better reflect her products. This involves a new home processor certification and new DBA / Sole Proprietorship.
