Story by Andrew Gates
Lifelong Alexandrian, Amy Eggers, is improving her community for generations to come. As owner of Amy Eggers Design, a board member at the Del Ray Business Association, and a co-founder of the Del Ray Vintage Flea Market, this Del Ray native boldly puts her stamp on the community.
With her hands seemingly everywhere in Alexandria, it is hard to know where to start with Amy. What is clear is that what drives her is her deep-rooted Alexandrian heritage. “I am a fourth-generation Alexandrian. My dad grew up in Del Ray and I always remember stories of him telling us about Alexandria. It wasn’t really Del Ray or Old Town back then – it was just Alexandria.” She says that keeping a “community feel” alive is extremely important today. “We don’t want to become a town where people don’t talk to each other or help each other. It’s so important to me because I love this town.”
“I am a fourth-generation Alexandrian. My dad grew up in Del Ray and I always remember stories of him telling us about Alexandria.'
- Amy Eggers
One way Amy improves the community is through her business, Amy Eggers Design. To explain Amy Eggers Design in a couple of words is not easy. Her unique business is a mix of textiles, botanical and floral design, event production and planning, and more.
A creative person by nature, Amy found it hard to choose one area in which to specialize when first starting Amy Eggers Design. “I thought, ‘Gosh, which creative outlet am I going to pursue?’ I have a mix interest in baking, fashion, others…”
“I call myself a ‘Jane of all traits.’ I’ve had to pivot so many times to keep treading water that I’ve procured a lot of skills and experience so, therefore, I kind of like to say, if you can put an expression on something, whether it’s an event, or a fabric, or a floral arraignment, and anyone can say, ‘Wow, that’s awesome!’ then I want to put my name on it.”
Amy's recent projects include her first lighting installation, a mural of faux flowers, and a 10-foot French flag in Old Town. She has done all of this and more while simultaneously planning a wedding for a client. “I’m constantly embarking on new projects, so I never do the same thing twice. I say, ‘Can this work?’ and I’ll give it a try and see what happens.” Amy is only recently able to do weddings and large-scale events again, as the pandemic forced her to change many of her plans. Pivoting her business quickly as things shut down, Amy designed fabric with Del Ray street names and sold them as Del Ray-themed facemasks. “I tried to represent the community that I knew through textiles and fabric.”
Only a few months before the pandemic hit, Amy joined the board of the Del Ray Business Association. “I joined the board two months before the pandemic. Part of my role was promoting events and marketing. So thankfully they took me up on my offer to help with those things.” Amy’s biggest project on the board was spearheading the recent “I Love Del Ray” campaign, which ran from late January to early April 2021. The campaign encouraged the community to support local businesses during the bland winter months.
Amy also co-founded the Del Ray Vintage Flea Market, a monthly market for vendors far and wide to showcase and sell their unique items. In only a brief time, the market has exploded in size and popularity, drawing crowds from Alexandria, other parts of Virginia, DC, and Maryland. “We started with literally four vendors including ourselves. This past market, we had almost50 vendors.”
When all is said and done, Amy does what she does for her love of Alexandria. “It’s been an amazing opportunity, truthfully, living here. It’s so cool that I can walk down the street and go to an independently owned pharmacy or see a wellness practitioner or walk to the grocery store. These things I think are dwindling.”
