Wednesday, October 15, 2008
As we move forward....
Since inception in 1997, Accessories Unlimited has supplied over seventy children's boutiques with hair accessories. Our goal moving forward is to become the premier accessory supplier in the nation.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
How it all began
When my first daughter was born, I couldn't wait to start dressing her up. She was my little baby doll. We loved to accessorize! Whenever I bought new outfits, I would go to the mall and have hairbows made to match. There was a store called Hairbows by Anne that made custom hairbows. We were frequent shoppers. I was there practically every two weeks getting new bows.
In 1996, my second daughter was born and I just couldn't fathom spending twice as much as I was spending on hairbows. That's when I decided to learn to make them myself. I bought ribbon, clips, buttons, glue gun and everything. Well, easier said than done. I just couldn't get it. My big mistake, trying to make the same bows that I had been buying. Needless to say, I boxed the whole mess up and put it on a shelf in my closet. I gave up after about a week of trying, it wasn't difficult to give up , due to the fact that Mia didn't have any hair at the time.... Back to Hairbows by Anne.
In 1997, Mia's hair was long enough for bows and I decided to give it another try. This time, I designed my own styles. It was so much easier than trying to duplicate other bows. I headed back to the ribbon store and went CRAZY! I bought anything hair bow related. My girls were "All bowed up" , all of the time. People would stop me and ask where I got her bows, and when I told them that I made them, they would ask me to make some for their daughter. The very first order gave me an idea. I made a whole box of bows and took them to a local daycare. I showed them to the owner and she loved them. I left my phone number and some samples with her. Later that day, she called and asked if I could come on Friday at closing time and bring a lot of bows. Of course, I did and it was a great success. I sold most of what I had, and I received many orders.
At this point, I'm getting a little bit excited about ribbons and hairbows. I headed to a local wholesaler , SN Thomas' Sons, and spent about two hundred dollars on ribbons and barrettes in bulk. At this time, I'm still only thinking of this as a hobby. Over the next year, I , my sister and cousin went out to daycares, hospitals and schools selling hairbows.
In 1997, I had acquired quite a few customers and by 1998, it had become a full time job. I made a decision to leave my job of eight years and open a bow shop. Beauty N Bows was the name of the shop. We sold bows, bows and more bows.
My first big break in the wholesale business....
I accredit my first break in the wholesale business to Michael Thomas of SN Thomas' Sons, Jackson , MS. Micheal is one of the owners of SN Thomas' Sons , which is a distributor of wholesale dry goods and had been in business over thirty years. Whenever I would go in to buy supplies, Michael and Gene would ask me about the business and wish me success. One day, Michael stopped by to see my shop. He was very impressed with my products. He called a friend of his , Joe Ulmer , owner of Stride Rite Shoes and told him about my business. Joe asked if I could go to the store and show samples of my designs to his store manager. I did on the next day and she placed a big order for both of their stores. She asked if I could continue to supply them with hairbows. Of course!
When I made it home that day, I got my phone book out and began looking for local children's boutiques. I called, made appointments, showed the samples, secured contracts and began supplying hairbows for seven stores. The wholesale orders were far exceeding my retail sales, so I decided to close the store and work from home in my spare bedroom. This move also afforded me the opportunity to become a stay at home mom. During the holiday season, I opened a kiosk in the mall and sold accessories. Within one year, what was intended as merely a hobby had turned into a full time business and I wouldn't realize the scope of that business for another two years. I never even imagined how big the accessories industry was.
In 1999, I changed the name from Beauty N Bows to Accessories Unlimited, because by this time, I was making hairbows, bracelets, headbands, belts , socks and designing purses. Beauty N Bows just didn't fit anymore.
Accessories Unlimited sells its products to individuals, clothing designers and high end boutiques.
As we move forward.......
In 1996, my second daughter was born and I just couldn't fathom spending twice as much as I was spending on hairbows. That's when I decided to learn to make them myself. I bought ribbon, clips, buttons, glue gun and everything. Well, easier said than done. I just couldn't get it. My big mistake, trying to make the same bows that I had been buying. Needless to say, I boxed the whole mess up and put it on a shelf in my closet. I gave up after about a week of trying, it wasn't difficult to give up , due to the fact that Mia didn't have any hair at the time.... Back to Hairbows by Anne.
In 1997, Mia's hair was long enough for bows and I decided to give it another try. This time, I designed my own styles. It was so much easier than trying to duplicate other bows. I headed back to the ribbon store and went CRAZY! I bought anything hair bow related. My girls were "All bowed up" , all of the time. People would stop me and ask where I got her bows, and when I told them that I made them, they would ask me to make some for their daughter. The very first order gave me an idea. I made a whole box of bows and took them to a local daycare. I showed them to the owner and she loved them. I left my phone number and some samples with her. Later that day, she called and asked if I could come on Friday at closing time and bring a lot of bows. Of course, I did and it was a great success. I sold most of what I had, and I received many orders.
At this point, I'm getting a little bit excited about ribbons and hairbows. I headed to a local wholesaler , SN Thomas' Sons, and spent about two hundred dollars on ribbons and barrettes in bulk. At this time, I'm still only thinking of this as a hobby. Over the next year, I , my sister and cousin went out to daycares, hospitals and schools selling hairbows.
In 1997, I had acquired quite a few customers and by 1998, it had become a full time job. I made a decision to leave my job of eight years and open a bow shop. Beauty N Bows was the name of the shop. We sold bows, bows and more bows.
My first big break in the wholesale business....
I accredit my first break in the wholesale business to Michael Thomas of SN Thomas' Sons, Jackson , MS. Micheal is one of the owners of SN Thomas' Sons , which is a distributor of wholesale dry goods and had been in business over thirty years. Whenever I would go in to buy supplies, Michael and Gene would ask me about the business and wish me success. One day, Michael stopped by to see my shop. He was very impressed with my products. He called a friend of his , Joe Ulmer , owner of Stride Rite Shoes and told him about my business. Joe asked if I could go to the store and show samples of my designs to his store manager. I did on the next day and she placed a big order for both of their stores. She asked if I could continue to supply them with hairbows. Of course!
When I made it home that day, I got my phone book out and began looking for local children's boutiques. I called, made appointments, showed the samples, secured contracts and began supplying hairbows for seven stores. The wholesale orders were far exceeding my retail sales, so I decided to close the store and work from home in my spare bedroom. This move also afforded me the opportunity to become a stay at home mom. During the holiday season, I opened a kiosk in the mall and sold accessories. Within one year, what was intended as merely a hobby had turned into a full time business and I wouldn't realize the scope of that business for another two years. I never even imagined how big the accessories industry was.
In 1999, I changed the name from Beauty N Bows to Accessories Unlimited, because by this time, I was making hairbows, bracelets, headbands, belts , socks and designing purses. Beauty N Bows just didn't fit anymore.
Accessories Unlimited sells its products to individuals, clothing designers and high end boutiques.
As we move forward.......
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