EVERETT — Hopesy Daisy, an online children’s accessory store, recently celebrated its first year on the Web. But the thing that really makes this locally owned cyber-boutique stand out is the busy woman who makes it tick.
Kara Carter is an Everett mother, a student and holds down a job as a collections analyst. Yet somehow she still finds time to create the crafts that are sold at Hopesy Daisy, delivers them and maintains the Web site as well. She admits that time management has, at times, been challenging.
“At first it seems really overwhelming but after a while you get into a rhythm with it all. It gains momentum, you find your rhythm then you roll with it,” said Carter, a Washington state native.
She also credits having a mother who has some time to help too. But it didn’t stop her from many nights of just four hours rest.
Hopesy Daisy carries all of those feminine doodads that little girls love. Fancy hair bows, ponytail holders, tutus and ribbon wands are just a few of the many items offered for sale.
Before the birth of her daughter, Carter had never imagined going into business for herself, let alone a business that dealt in little girls’ fashion accessories. Her background was as a toy store assistant buyer and pre-school teacher.
But when her daughter came along, she was forced to learn a new skill to stretch her already tight budget.
“Everything I looked at in boutiques sent me into sticker shock,” she said. “How is a working mom supposed to afford this stuff? You work hard and you just want something cute and pretty for your daughter, but there is no way you can fit it into your budget.”
A photographer even suggested to Carter that she tape a bow onto her daughter’s head with adhesive tape. The only alternative was to learn to make the cute accessories herself.
Fortunately, Carter is creative and enjoyed learning to make the decorative bows, clips and headbands like those she had seen in boutiques and mall kiosks.
At first she simply made these for her own daughter, but she soon had requests from other mothers.
“My co-workers went ga-ga over the stuff that I made and I started selling to my co-workers,” Carter said. “It finally occurred to me that this sort of thing is hard to find around here, especially reasonably priced.”
She soon discovered why. Overhead costs can be prohibitive. She exhibited at a few craft fairs but found that booth fees were high and, according to organizers, craft fair attendance has been low thanks to the recession.
Although she worried about the recession, Carter decided to go online and start her own business. She began researching Web hosts.
“It was brand new to me,” Carter said. “My mother and I did it together. I found the Web hosting and started to build the basics of the site then she jumped in.”
The name Hopesy Daisy was chosen as a tribute to Carter’s daughter Hope.
So far, the online boutique has been a great success. Carter found she had a large number of orders for hair bows and ponytail streamers when school started and around the holidays. Halloween resulted in a bumper order of fairy wings and the ever-popular tutu.
“I think my absolute favorite is the tutu,” Carter said. “I sell more on custom orders of those than straight from the website but they’re just fun to make. You can make them in any color in the rainbow and any look. I might be one of the only people whose daughter has about six tutus in her closet.”
She also enjoys being able to offer the pretty accessories that little girls love at a more affordable price than a brick-and-mortar store. She has already decided not to sell wholesale because she doesn’t want her products to be priced out of reach.
The Hopesy Daisy website allows Carter to supplement her income a little bit and also to provide a service she knows is appreciated by many mothers in the Snohomish County area and beyond.
More information about Hopesy Daisy can be found online at www.hopesydaisy.com. Carter also posts products for sale on Craig’s List.
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