Daughters inspire and model mom's frilly fashions
Jennifer Campbell
Boxborough
Mother of Lucy, 4, and Emma, 6
Sister Rosie
sisterrosie.com
When Jennifer Campbell's customers need a denim jacket with satin trim, a ponytail holder in a floral chiffon, or just about any other frilly accessory for their little girls, they know where to find her: in the long line of cars waiting to pick up children at the Acton Barn Cooperative Nursery School. Other parents might use the time to glance at newspaper headlines or return phone calls as they wait for children to emerge from the building; Campbell generates sales.
"I have two little girls, and they both like to get dressed up," Campbell said, explaining how her company, Sister Rosie, got its start. "First I made hair accessories by attaching ribbons and buttons and things I had been collecting for a while to plain hair elastics. Then I started decorating T-shirts and headbands. One day I was in a store and saw some plain white leotards and thought, 'Those look boring, but I could sew a tutu on it and add some ribbons and beads.' "
Campbell's daughters are delighted with the results.
"Emma and Lucy are my best salespeople and models because they wear stuff I've made all the time, and they tell people I made it," she said. "As far as my girls are concerned, there's no such thing as a nondressy occasion. I think a lot of little girls feel the same way. My younger daughter will wear five or six hair accessories at once, often none of them matching her outfit. But she thinks she looks great."
Campbell's inventory, she said, includes "2,000 hair bows, many of which are unique combinations of ribbons, buttons, etc.
"All of the T-shirts and leotards are one-of-a-kind. I do home parties and craft fairs and a small amount of online business and am looking to expand into retail opportunities," she said.
Her professional training is in publishing, and she still freelances as an editor and writer. Handicrafts appeal to her, though, because she can incorporate her children into the work.
"Sometimes we'll all sit around the dining room table together. I'll be sewing and they'll be making their own little things with the scraps," she said. "But the best thing about this kind of work, unlike editing, is that it can be done in five-minute intervals. Five minutes is all that I can ever expect to have at one time with no interruptions." 