Architec Housewares run by mother-daughter duo

On Mother’s Day, Jenna Sellers Miller honors the woman who is her mother but also her business partner. Kathy Sellers has shown her daughter how to be resilient in business and life. A few years ago, Sellers suffered a traumatic brain injury that left her first in a coma and then dealing with grueling rehab.

“It impacted the business in the sense that the vision of the company was gone for six months,” said Sellers Miller. But her mother persevered.

“It’s something I think about all the time and use as inspiration,” Sellers Miller said. “She’s got a will like no one I know, hopefully I’ve inherited a little bit of that.”

Sellers, 63, is president of Alice Ink Inc., the parent company of Architec Housewares, where Sellers Miller, 39, is president.

The Sun Sentinel spoke with the mother-daughter duo who run the Delray Beach-based enterprise known for its eco-friendly products and for “The Gripper,” a non-slip cutting board that stays put while cooks are using it. Architec expects sales will surpass $10 million by the end of this year. Their products are sold at retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Target and Macy’s. burned out, [and] by the time mom came out to visit, I was exhausted. So mom said, ‘Come home and work with me. I’ll give you a fun project.’ Itwas so fun. I loved it, absolutely loved it. I was hooked.

Sellers Miller: When we first started with Architec, I knew the sales part of it, the marketing part of it, butmomwould get frustrated I didn’t know the business side of it. I think with other employees she would’ve said it in a different way. With me she was a bit more careful because we have to go home and have a relationship after that, so she can’t be as tough onme. and design.

Sellers Miller: We all lived in Gainesville in an apartment and worked there while shewas in a coma. We brought her back here for rehabilitation ... Basically, we all knew howto do whatwe did, but the overall perspective, how were we going to carry that on if she wasn’t able to do that? We got through, and she was very determined to get better. She never gives up.

TOM BRODIGAN/COURTESY Kathy Sellers, left, and Jenna Sellers Miller are the motherdaughter duo who own Architec Housewares Delray Beach.

TOM BRODIGAN/COURTESY “The Gripper,” a non-slip cutting board, is one of the business’ most popular products.