Buddha Babe: Named “Best Baby Gift” by Main Line Parent magazine in May 2015

I grew up in suburban Philadelphia, and I always wanted to be a pediatric surgeon. When I graduated high school, I went to pursue that dream and went to college to study biology. My life took a turn, and I became a mom for the first time – and instead of biology, I chose to learn the family business. Well, that didn’t quite cut it when it came to my dreams!

I stumbled upon a career as an Executive Assistant, working for a Fortune 500 company, and supporting some strong leaders. That’s when the bug caught, after working with them, I knew that someday, somehow I wanted my own business, and I wanted to be the CEO.

With the birth of my second son, 19 years later, I was finally able to merge my creativity and amateur business skills to create something special. Buddha Babe is the culmination of decades of absorbing best business practices, releasing my creative energies, and a need to keep my baby styled in anything other than teddy bears and alphabet letters! The response to my products and designs has been nothing short of amazing- and finally I know for sure that this is what I was meant to do with my life. Designing and making are food for my soul, and I am so excited about the future of this brand!

The Buddha Babe (formerly Buddha Bibs) family of products was conceived in 2014 by a mama who was looking for a way to combine style and comfort in her daily drool battle. Unimpressed with many of the retail options available, I decided to take matters into my own hands- literally!

I taught myself how to sew, went through many pattern, fabric and packaging failures, and eventually narrowed down a core set of products that are eco-friendly, stylish and practical. I make every effort to partner with local vendors and our business thrives on using the highest quality materials sourced with fair trade standards in mind.

In May 2015, we were named “Best Baby Gift” by Main Line Parent magazine, and could not be more thrilled with the outpouring of love from our customers and retail partners! In August 2015, we expanded beyond bibs to clothing and quickly sales quadrupled. Things were growing so rapidly that I was forced out of our home studio (aka dining room) and are so excited about having moved into an official design/manufacturing space in historic Old City Philadelphia! In addition to getting my own studio, I was able to add 3 part timers – all moms with babies who were customers and brand enthusiasts.

My main goal is to create products that are safe, beautiful, super-soft and functional. I hope you and baby love my work just as much as I enjoy creating

Currently, I am receiving more orders than I can keep up with. This is due to the lack of two things – enough people and enough materials! This $5,000 Kiva Zip loan will help me be able to purchase more inventory to fulfill my orders and expand my wholesale relationships. It will also help me be able to hire a full time seamstress. With another employee and more material, Buddha Babe can continue to grow!