The Frilly Frog: April 2011

When I went to the Atlanta Apparel Market in February, I found a cute new line that I could not wait to get in! I thought it was so fun and adorable and thought my customers would feel the same way. The fabrics were wonderful. They were fun, beautiful and colorful. Being a Home Economics major in college I am always interested in the fabrics. Are they comfortable, durable, is the construction up to par. Sometimes I drive myself crazy overthinking every detail of construction that most buyers don't think of. Needless to say, I fell in love with Jelly The Pug!

Here's her story:

When I started making little girls dresses in 2007 I never expected to be overwhelmed with orders. I started to get invited to shows to sell my garments. I felt very blessed! I started with local shows and then travelled to places like San Francisco, CA and Berkeley, CA . I even went to Austin, TX and Oklahoma City.

I would pack all my clothing racks and boxes in my beast of a car and hit the road. I travel well alone but travel better with Jelly. Jelly is a 3-year-old slightly overweight pug. She is my constant companion.

Jelly became a fixture at these shows. Little girls would ask to see Jelly the Pug and come to my booth to play with her. She got fan mail and even mail from other dogs we met on the road. Jelly had more friends on facebook than I did. Mothers would tell me that their kids begged to come see Jelly the Pug when we were in town. We became the "Jelly the Pug" booth.

A business was born! There was no marketing firm, nor was there a huge board room. There was no test market group, buyers chose it.
The girls who bought my clothes named the store.

Jelly is a bit of a prima donna now, her favorite place to sleep used to be a pile of fabric scraps but now it is padded bed with a built in blanket she can pull up over her. She loves to watch reality tv and check her Facebook. She has 3 dogs brothers. Jealously is a big issue now Carl, the French bull dog is demanding his own line French Wear.