A year after deciding to launch their own company, Carol Maguire and Amanda Clancy will celebrate this Mother’s Day not only as mother and daughter but as business partners. The two, a single mother and an only child, have always had a close bond, but it wasn’t until last spring that they decided to take their relationship to another level.

For life-long artist Maguire, the economy was beginning to take its effect, and she went from being unable to keep up with the art galleries’ needs to all of a sudden having time on her hands. And Clancy was becoming more and more unhappy in her chosen field of engineering. Paired with the desire to take on something new together, the decision to go into business was simple. During a snowy night last April when Maguire was visiting Clancy at her home in Vermont, Carol Maguire Home was born.

Originally the business plan included the designing and selling of linens such as tablecloths, placemats and napkins, which stemmed from a project Maguire had already taken on. Along with being an artist, Maguire had been a product designer for years. She had begun designing tablecloths for a textile company in India and wanted to expand on the concept.

(VIDEO: Carol Maguire and Amanda Clancy share their story on how Carol Maguire Home was started and what it like working as a mother-daughter team.)

“I have designed everything from dolls, children’s clothing and quilts to china for Kate Spade and Vera Wang,” said Maguire. “When working for a doll company I met a guy from India, and after looking at my Web site, he asked me to design some tablecloths. He has a screen-printing company, the largest textile company in India, and he sells his products all over the world. According to him, my tablecloths have been a big hit in Dubai. He has carried my designs under his line, but I felt it would be a much bigger and stronger presentation on its own.”

With that desire in mind, a business plan in tow and a manufacturer ready and willing to work with the new mother-daughter team, the two set off to turn their idea into reality. Maguire hit the art studio, working on new designs, and Clancy focused on the business end.

“I worked on getting us registered, worked on our Web site and set us up legally,” said Clancy. “Originally I was working both as an engineer and on this business, but I have since quit my job to take this on full time. On Oct. 12, 2009, we launched our Web site and officially went live.”

Maguire designs all of the patterns for the Carol Maguire Home line. Her paintings, according to Clancy, are known for saturated colors, flowers and vibrancy.

“Mom is a celebrated artist in Philadelphia,” said Clancy. “She has been in the art world for so long that she has a good following, and we have started building on that clientele.”

In just a year what was planned to be a linens-based company has blossomed to include scarves, tote bags, note cards and coasters. In the fall they plan to add makeup bags and pillows, and in the spring are expanding to carry diaper bags and quilts.

“The reaction we are getting is fantastic,” said Maguire. “People are excited they can buy pieces of artwork for their table and it is accessible and affordable. Not everyone can afford a piece of art but a tablecloth is more doable. The response from everyone has made us want to expand our products as well as our availability. We decided to work on getting our products into stores and currently have four locations carrying Carol Maguire Home, including locally The Pear Tree in Wayne.”

For Maguire and Clancy, starting a business has been an experience where every step taken is new and scary, but together they have been learning along the way.

“I was so worried about whether I would know what to do next, but the next steps always seemed to make sense,” said Clancy. “And I have learned more from my mom than from work and school combined. She has always been a renaissance woman; she is so honest and hardworking.”

Since going into business together, the mother and daughter says they are closer than ever, and although geographically they are states apart, the pair makes it work.

“I live in Radnor and Amanda lives in Vermont, so we talk on the phone and Skype for hours a day,” said Maguire. “Although we’re mother and daughter, we are equal because we were both able to bring a lot to the table. We said from the beginning if this ever interferes with our relationship it is over. It’s been mostly smooth, and we’re stronger for it when we work things through.”

Since that snowy night in Vermont last April, the lives of these two women have changed dramatically. While they claim owning their own business will be scary forever, it has been a learning process that they have enjoyed every minute of.

“Having something to work on has made us happy,” said Clancy. “I see this going very far and it is very exciting. For some reason, that snowy night was the night.”

Maguire and Clancy will be showcasing Carol Maguire Home at The Pear Tree on May 7 for First Friday in Wayne, and will be doing a traveling trunk-show tour throughout the next few months. For a list of locations, and for more information on Carol Maguire Home, visit www.carolmaguirehome.com.