Forty Under 40: Erin Sewell

After growing up in El Dorado and earning a bachelor’s degree in communications and political science from the University of Arkansas, Erin Sewell moved to Fayetteville in 1998 with her husband Brandon.

A year later, the couple bought the Atlanta Bread Co. franchise restaurant in Fayetteville from Dick Bradley.

The restaurant now ranks among the top nationwide in customer service, employee productivity and profitability. In 2000, it had the largest annual sales increase of any Atlanta Bread eatery nationwide.

“We took over the store and made it more successful than it was before,” Erin Sewell, 29, said. “And we were young.”

In 2002, the Sewells opened a second Atlanta Bread Co. in Rogers. Brandon Sewell handles the personnel and management issues for the restaurant while Erin serves as the office manager.

Erin Sewell also owns Artful Interiors Inc. of Springdale, which specializes in paintings and furniture. She selects the interior colors and tile for spec houses that her husband develops.

Erin Sewell said she has been preoccupied for the past 10 months with the couple’s baby boy, Hayden, but she may eventually open a retail store for Artful Interiors.