The Biz: Feature Articles

Tragedy struck the Leonard family in 2005 when Monica endured a stillbirth of her daughter Molly. As a pediatric nurse, she knew she had done “everything right” in her pregnancy. Leonard started to research and found a study done on cord blood which identified over 120 toxins found in newborn baby cord blood. These toxins are passed through several generations and originate in many chemicals found in homes. Leonard said, “It was a starting point for me, I began doing research and finding out what products were safe, and what products were not.” Thus she created Molly’s Suds, an all-natural, toxin-free detergent line.

As children’s spa birthday parties and sleepovers gain popularity, parents are left trying to find affordable but appropriate products for sweet little faces. Sweet Dream Girlz founders Brea and Halle Holmes turned that frustration into an emerging business. At the young ages of 16 and 10 years old, these tween/teen sisters created a line of natural skincare products for at-home spa treatments. Just three years later, the brand has expanded to natural skincare that smells good enough to eat.

“I want something cute” is the mantra of customers who are shopping for the little girls in their lives. Sugar and spice is very nice, especially when it comes in the form of comfortable clothes with appeal to make them fresh for the seasons ahead. Smart retailers seek fine detailing and easy-to-wear fabrics for summer, along with sweet style and original looks. Little ones are cute from the get-go, so what they wear should enhance their appeal as do the collections from Lali, Zara Terez, Posh and PAZ Rodriguez. Much of this merch has an international flavor, proving that “cute” when applied to tots is universal.

Be prepared to sweetly surrender to Sweet Bamboo. Forget everything you once thought true about eco-friendly –– the boring beige, the thick inflexible fabric, the utter blah of the whole thing. Designer Wendy Besio created Sweet Bamboo to add luscious luxury to ecological friendliness. With the holidays quickly approaching, customers will flip for the soft fabrics of Sweet Bamboo. Before or after wee ones leave the womb, the Newborn Essentials collection will wow. The perfect going-home outfit, the Receiving Gown is a limited edition garment made with super soft antimicrobial bamboo.