Sallie Bynum Anzelmo sits in her backyard garage workspace surrounded by her artwork, all in various stages of completion. From fully painted glassware sets to empty canvases, the tucked-away studio holds it all.
As 225 reports, it’s in this space that Bynum Anzelmo creates items she ships all over the country. In Louisiana and beyond, Bynum Anzelmo is best known for her work showcasing oysters, part of her Forget the Pearl line. You’ll find real or painted Louisiana oysters on almost all of her pieces.
The shellfish inspiration came to her while she was planning her wedding. Her florist decided to use oyster shells in her arrangements, and Bynum Anzelmo was intrigued by the idea.
“I just fell in love with them. I started painting them, and I added that—which has kind of now become my signature thing—just that little bit of gold trim to the edge,” she says.
The moment she knew she could rely financially on her business, she jumped at the chance. That was two years ago, and now she sells these oyster shells 9-to-5.
While Bynum Anzelmo says she does most of her business through Etsy or her own website and social media, her work is also sold in several Baton Rouge retail stores, including LD Linens and Decor, Hemline and Paper ’N Things. She’s also selling in boutiques along the Gulf Coast, East Coast and—perhaps unexpectedly—Indiana.
Bynum Anzelmo’s tagline for her products is “Lovingly made in Louisiana,” and she says she’s always surprised when stores or customers outside of the Gulf region order her oyster items.
That is, until she realizes the shells are nostalgic for them. For many customers, Bynum Anzelmo’s pieces offer daily reminders of their beloved home state or region.
“I have people in New Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii—all over places you wouldn’t think would care about an oyster shell—[who] have ordered pieces just to have a little piece of home,” she says.
