Ribbon belt winds up as winning firm

Pamela Thomas
Lexington
Mother of Andrew, 9, William, 7, and Ella, 3
Ellabelle Creations
ellabellecreations.com

It has happened to Pamela Thomas at coffee shops and committee meetings. It happens to her two sons at school. It has even happened to friends of Thomas's at an airport in Texas. A certain belt, headband, or purse catches their eye and they think, "Hey, that's an Ellabelle Creation!"

Formerly a marketing consultant who earned her master's in business administration at Babson College, Thomas said she expected to stay in the corporate sector throughout her career. But after having two children, she began to find working outside the home too complicated. So in 2000, she left to devote her time to volunteering and raising her sons, now 7 and 9, and Ella, born in 2003, the company's namesake.

"In my marketing classes at Babson, I always loved the projects that involved designing a business," she said. "So on some level I knew that was what I wanted to do; I was just waiting for inspiration to hit. And then really randomly, I saw a ribbon belt one day and thought, 'What a cool thing!' I've always loved accessories of all kinds because there are so many different ways they can be used. So I tried making a couple of ribbon belts for friends as holiday gifts in late 2005, and then the friends who received them asked me to make more, for them to give as gifts. And it kind of took off from there."

At that point, Thomas put her marketing background to use, with immediate results.

"I didn't want to rely on my own opinion as far as what customers might want," she said. "So I did a very informal focus group by offering a trunk show for my friends. They were really enthusiastic, and gave me tons of great feedback."

Thomas took their suggestions and worked further on her belts. She also added other accessories to her product line, such as headbands, watches, and purses.

"Then it just started growing and growing," she said. "My friends were buying Ellabelles to send to their friends out of town. Teenagers in Lexington were walking around with them. I got a call from the proprietor of a boutique in North Carolina saying that she had seen a customer wearing one of my belts and wanted some for her shop. Then I started marketing on the Web."

These days, Thomas sales channels include craft fairs, trunk shows, and extensive word of mouth. "I set up my guest room as a showroom, and people call me all the time and say, 'I'm around the corner and I need a teacher's gift; can I drop by?' "

Thomas started her business last February and sold more than 850 items -- key fobs, headbands, watches, and belts -- in her first 11 months. She frequently contributes items to charity fund-raisers and auctions as well. "Part of why I'm doing this, besides having fun, is to give something back to the causes that are near and dear to my heart," she said.