Kim Merkle, the owner and operator of Suzy Q’s, wanted her sewing services and retail store in Butte, Montana to stand out.

When creating her brand identity, I took into account her fine arts background, vibrant personality, and family history.

This lead to the creation of Suzy Q’s whimsical, kitschy, retro vibe that is embodied in absolutely everything; from the Googie inspired logo all the way down to the pink leopard print carpet.

Currently the only employee, Kim wanted Suzy Q’s to be a bright and happy workplace, with vibrant colors and Americana decorations to inspire her new products and motivate her when she’s working on repairs.

The Googie design motifs and hues of powder blue and rosy pink pay homage to Kim’s parents, who both ran a contract sewing company, (similarly named “P’s & Q’s), and were lovers of Doo-wop and rock and roll.

The idea of “minding your p’s and q’s” is central to Kim’s customer service. She seeks to provide a personal and a friendly experience for her clients, working with each person to find the best way to repair their goods. Her main demographic is people over the age of 40, so she also wanted the store to deliver not just excitement, but nostalgia as well.

However, the artsy vibe and contemporary take on retro motifs and colors helps to also attract younger customers.

The mural in particular has become a neighborhood landmark, and is a hot spot for local teens to take selfies.

In July of 2018 I completed the Suzy Q’s Sewing & Repair mural.

The finished mural measured 8 feet tall by 28 feet wide (224 sq. ft.) and took approximately 50 hours to complete. Everything was painted by hand. While painting, I recorded a timelapse of the process to document the 5 days it took to complete.

The mural was featured in an article by the Montana Standard on August 17th, 2018.

Below is the working sketch for the mural, which was drawn to scale and gridded out for placement reference and colors.