About Us In The Press Baby couture is her business
Baby couture is her business
What began as a hobby for a Douglas woman has turned into a small business, gaining recognition across North America.
While most of her stuff would cater to soon-to-be mothers as well as new mothers, she said, her company does offer adult merchandise as well.
"The company has always seemed to garner a great deal of interest from both men and women alike," Danielski said.
"I think this is due to the intermingling of a strong creative factor mixed with an interesting, low-overhead, system-based small-business model."
Danielski's designs can be found at local retailers such as Room to Remember and Carrington and Company at the Delta Fredericton Hotel, but a lot of her items have found their way across the country and into the United States, including upscale celebrity boutiques in New York and Los Angeles.
Working from the basement of her home, Danielski said her cut-and-sew business is a fairly simple process.
She brings in large rolls of fabric, which are rolled out on a table up to a foot thick. From there she draws and etches on the various pattern templates, then the patterns are cut out of the fabric and sewn.
She said her designs are easy to produce and they are always popular and new.
Danielski began her operation about two years ago, noting her business grew from her hobby.
At the time, she was making a baby carrier, also known as a baby sling. They were easy to make, she said, and it was something people didn't see every day.
"So it was unique, and I thought I could market it and package it better than I had seen," she said.
"And (from there) it just took off."
Since then she has grown her product line to maintain the company's competitive edge. She has gone from one item to more than a dozen articles, including nursing pillows, organic teething rings and tapered bibs with an attached pacifier so when it's spit out, it doesn't land on the floor.
"I quickly had to make some changes because the competition is very strong," she said.
"Those items are doing quite well because more people are aware of germs and dirt these days than they were even a year ago. We have a lot of items that are unique in their own way, and that is what makes us unique. We don't have just a plain bib, but a bib that is a little different from what you have seen before."
Business has been fairly good for LittleStar Inc. since it began operations, but like all businesses starting out, it has faced difficulties.
In the past year, Danielski said, she has struggled with one problem after another, but through perseverance and dedication, her hobby-turned-business is going strong.
"Years of hard work have finally culminated into something that I'm very proud of, and I feel will survive and thrive under any circumstance," she said.
Danielski said she would like to see her small business expand and grow.
She said she feels it has a lot of potential and her merchandise does appeal to consumers. But for now she's taking it one step at a time.
For more information on LittleStar Inc., visit littlestarboutique.com or call 472-3853.
