Pine’s guided-instruction art studio Dots and Doodles is celebrating 10 years in business this summer.

“I took art classes as a kid, coincidentally in the same building that Dots and Doodles is in now. My mom and brother and I always joked around about doing this as a retirement plan,” said Franklin Park’s Laura Hilger, who co-founded the studio and owns and operates it with her mother, Wendy.

Hilger earned a master’s degree in education from Duquesne University, but struggled to find a job. Then, during the summer of 2013, she sat down with her parents and discussed the possibility of opening an art studio. That’s when Dots and Doodles was born.

In the beginning, Dots and Doodles offered art classes and birthday parties. The studio got a kiln in 2014 and started offering paint-your-own pottery. Now it offers open studios, birthday parties, summer camps and workshops.

It hasn’t always been easy. The covid-19 pandemic presents many challenges.

“It was tough because covid really affected kids and the majority of what we do is working with kids. How we did stuff really changed because of the pandemic,” Hilger said.

“Before covid, we had classes for kids after school. During covid, kids weren’t going to school in person. We closed for a bit and when we reopened, things were a lot different. Parents were very reluctant to send their children places, so we adapted and were very flexible during the height of the pandemic,” she added.

During 2020, Dots and Doodles offered at-home art camps for kids. Hilger turned her mom’s basement into a television studio and they filmed themselves teaching art lessons. The lessons were uploaded onto the Dots and Doodles website for people to access from their homes. Hilger said it’s something she would like to return to doing in the future.

Another event happened two years ago that changed how Hilger operated Dots and Doodles. In June 2021, she and her husband, Matt, welcomed their first child, Libby.

As for how her work-life balance has changed since she became a mom, Hilger said, “Before I had Libby, I worked 85 hours a week. I loved doing that, it’s my business and I love what I do. That schedule was not sustainable with a child.”

“I work when I can. If she’s napping or after she goes to bed, I’ll try to get a bunch of stuff done then. She goes to daycare twice a week and then she’ll spend time with my mom some days or Matt’s mom some days. We have a nice balance of child care happening but it’s definitely a juggling act,” she added.

Instead of offering classes each day after school, which required Laura to be at work four days a week during dinner time, there’s more of an emphasis now on weekend activities and different programming to better serve the community.

One of the ways Laura contributes is as a member of the Crisis Center North, an organization dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence.

“I started offering free classes at the studio for victims twice a month. We also have found ways to cater to adults with special needs who come into the studio. My mom and I have always placed a strong emphasis on giving back at the studio so it’s been really rewarding to incorporate programming like this,” Hilger said.

Laura couldn’t be happier running Dots and Doodles as a family business.

“My mom is my best friend. I wouldn’t imagine it any other way,” Hilger said.

There are 22 members on the staff at Dots and Doodles, many of them high school and college students who took classes at Dots and Doodles during their childhoods. The summer season is a busy time at Dots and Doodles, requiring extra staff. During the school year, there are about 15 people on staff.

“My favorite memories from running Dots and Doodles have to be seeing kids grow up. When we first opened up, there were 8-year-old kids coming to classes and now they’re on staff as seniors in high school,” Hilger said.

Summer camp is in full swing at Dots and Doodles. Each camp has a different theme and runs Monday through Friday. These camps will be taking place from June to August.

Hilger advises any woman considering starting a small business to go for it, but she says they should be aware of the workload and challenges involved.

“I think that running a small business is one of the most rewarding things you can do, but it’s also one of the most challenging things you can do. You get to dictate how much you work,” Hilger said.

“Things have changed so much in the past few years between the pandemic and Libby. I can work as hard as I want, but I’ve just adapted the business to the lifestyle I want to live now. I want to be home and enjoy those moments with my daughter. It’s awesome because you’re your own boss but it’s hard because you’re your own boss,” she added.

Hilger also expressed her gratitude to the community.

“The reason that we lasted through covid was because we had such amazing community support. People really stuck with us as a small business and helped out,” Hilger said.