We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aimee Tank. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aimee below.

Aimee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I have always been a crafty and creative person. I am very visual and also quite particular about design in my home interior, clothing, party planning, etc. So when I became pregnant and found out I was having a daughter, I immediately became excited at all the possibilities for her nursery design and clothing. However, I was quite underwhelmed with choices in traditional retail stores. I started to explore more unique, handmade options for nursery decor and baby clothing/accessories at online retailers. I loved some of these choices, but still found items lacking for what I was looking for and the price point I wanted to pay. So I just decided that I would try my hand at creating my own items. I designed my daughter’s nursery and made most of the decor, from the bedding and blankets to the mobile above her crib. I also used my sewing skills to make her a few specialized clothing items for photos and holidays for her first year. To match all of her adorable outfits, I decided to start making her matching bows (since she had no hair!). Initially, me creating these items was just for me and her. But I started to get other moms asking me where I bought her bow, where I got her outfit, and the ‘lightbulb’ went off-I could turn this into a business. Eight years later, and I’m still going strong! My daughter has since outgrown most of my creations, but I still get such a thrill from seeing new moms and their darling babies enjoying what I have created!

Aimee, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Aimee and I am a mom of one daughter, Ava. She is my inspiration and was the jumping off point for my business! I own and operate Giraffe Bow Co., which is a children’s clothing and accessories boutique. My creations are 100% handmade. I focus on unique design, and use high quality materials, as well as an incredible attention to detail when making all of the items. I also extend this attention to detail and design in my branding and in creating a pleasant shopping experience for my customers, whether that is from my online store, at a market, or when shopping in a retail store that carries Giraffe Bow Co. products. I love working with customers on custom orders-whether it is making a bow to match a Christening gown, or making a custom birthday outfit for a little one’s special day-and my favorite thing about owning this business is when I receive pictures of little ones wearing something I designed and made!

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I initially started my business solely online through Etsy. The success I had in the first year was fantastic, and really motivated me to branch out and begin to attend local markets and craft shows. I had many successful years with Etsy, but began to notice a drop in traffic a few years ago, while noticing an increase in Etsy fees and an increase in ‘drop ship’ companies also having an Etsy account. At that point, I decided to branch out and create my own website through Square. I love that I am able to customize the website much more now, and the stats available are more insightful through Square. The drawback that I have with my own website is generating my own traffic to the site. I have a large enough Instagram following and enough in person business (at markets and retail storefronts) that traffic is fairly consistent.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I always encourage my customers to follow my social media and sign up for the Giraffe Bow Co. newsletter (for special discount codes and new product releases). I also tell each customer that if they want to submit a picture of their little one in one of my creations I would be happy to post it to social media. There are a lot of my customers who LOVE this and love being featured on my stories and even on the website itself. It creates a relationship with these customers to share with me. I have a few customers that have been purchasing products since I started and their babies are now the same age as my own daughter, so it’s great to see them kind of grow up and to see Giraffe Bow Co. be a small part of those family pictures or birthday parties or holidays.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.giraffebowco.com
• Instagram: @giraffebowco
• Facebook: /giraffebowcollc