A North Kingstown woman is gearing up to showcase her latest invention on live television.
Deanna Russo is a finalist on Martha Stewart’s “American Made” challenge in hopes of getting a big boost to sell her product to the world.
It’s taken ten years of thinking, creating, and going to dozens of bridal showers for Russo’s invention to finally take off.
Remember those paper plates that bridesmaids try and turn into a bouquet for the bride-to-be? Russo turned a wedding shower tradition into something brides can keep forever. “You can put bows in here and it’s sturdy and it’s a keepsake,” Russo explains.
It’s called the “Bow-K,” produced in East Providence, Rhode Island, and it’s caught the attention of Martha Stewart.
Starting later this month Russo will go up against hundreds of other investors hoping to take the title in the “American Made” competition.
Russo says her product has a good chance, “My family uses it at Christmas time, we do seasonal arrangements, I make fresh flowers arrangements, and ‘thank yous’ for people.
You can buy the Bow-K online for 15 dollars, but Russo has bigger dreams than that, hoping to have it in every big box store in America.
“I love the idea of preserving a tradition and putting a modern element to it and making it cool again… because you don’t see it anymore. People have mixed emotions about it,” she says.
Russo says she also got a call back from the producers of Shark Tank last week. Voting for the “American Made Challenge” starts September 21st and runs until October 19th.