AJAKO. That’s an interesting name for a business and it isn’t the last name of the owners, either. Actually, the name reflects owner Patti Kadkhodaian’s passion for family; the letters are the initials of her sons. Armand, Justan, Artemis and Kevan all have names based in the paternal family’s Persian roots. Since Patti began her business as a way of helping to support her family, it only made sense to name the business after them.
In fact, her business began small, literally. She received an embroidered bib as a gift when she had her second son and thought “I could do this!” For the next few years, she sold hand-embroidered bibs. But, once word got around about the quality of her work, people started asking for other items to be embroidered as well. Eventually, she bought a commercial embroidering machine, a machine that is still used in the shop today.
AJAKO is now a thriving business with a large customer base. They custom-embroider a remarkable number of items and also offer engraving services, both in-house. They can work with a single piece or an order of thousands of pieces, depending on the customer’s need. Schools are a large portion of their business. They also work with screen print orders which are outsourced but project-managed by AJAKO staff.
“Our focus is on getting the job done right,” Patti says. “We do our best to do it right the first time and if it’s wrong, we fix it. Period. We want each customer to have a good experience with us.”
AJAKO moved into their present Peachtree City location in 2005. The facility combines shop, offices and a public showroom. In 2009, they were awarded the small business of the year by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce.
Long-time customer Cele Eifert explains why she chooses AJAKO:
“They are local, and I believe in keeping my money local when I can. But also, they are extraordinarily honest and friendly, they do quality work and they bend over backwards to get me what I need. What more could I ask?”
So, about the “O” in the company name, what does that stand for? Originally, the business was incorporated as AJACO to stand for the first three sons and “co” for “company”. Then son Kevan was born and the C became a K. Now, Patti admits, they use the O for the important “extras” in their lives like pets. “We’ve had an Oliver and an Olivia,” she says. “We just keep finding more ways to use that leftover O.”
For more information visit AJAKO on the web.
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