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Hello, my name is JoAnn and I’m a dog-a-holic. I had a little peanut of a dog, Lacy, who shivered every time we took our winter walks, so, being a crocheter, I made her a sweater in sherbet colors and a freeform mix of yarns, stitches, and textures. It only stands to reason that if I should start a business, it would involve dogs and their people. But I’m jumping ahead of myself.

After attending art school, hoping to be a fine artist, I started off as a receptionist for a young men’s outerwear company in 1967 to support myself and after a year, moved up to Assistant Designer. From there, I moved on to work as a men’s sport shirt designer in 1969 at a time when youth culture was exploding and embraced and when prints were a surging trend in menswear. I was in the right place at the right time. I went on to study textile design and after my first child was born, apprenticed as a textile designer at several NYC textile design studios. I continued to move forward over the years, acquiring positions as art studio manager in New York and California, print stylist/designer, and color coordinator, and continuing on that path for 35 years. 

During that time, I always went on to better jobs and more responsibility with ease, until I reached the dreaded age of 60 (not dreaded by me as I was healthy, fulfilled, and happy and I thought, hey, I don’t look old!!), but apparently dreaded by the same youth-oriented fashion industry I had been welcomed into, once upon a time. 

In 2007, the large fashion company I worked for was restructuring so my department was eliminated and I was laid off after almost seven years there. Although the severance package was nice and we were provided with advice from many resources on how to write a resume, update a portfolio, and what paths to take to become employed again, I felt thrust into unchartered waters. I never experienced rejection, or any sort of bias when it came to my work ethic or capabilities. The previous year, I had even won 2nd place in the company's annual employee design competition with a $5,000 prize: a merchandising concept for “Aging Baby Boomer Women” of all things! 

I don’t say the difficulty landing another job was ALL about my age. Some jobs I applied for and interviews I went on were just not right for me or required computer-aided design expertise which had never been necessary in my past positions. So I did some traveling to clear my head, then sat down with books and my computer and took a year to teach myself how to work with the available CAD programs for fashion so I would be more competent with the current technology and therefore more suitable for the competitive job market. 

After an unsuccessful year of interviews and only a few freelance design gigs, I took one final interview at a youth-oriented company attended by a creative team half my age. After a brief meeting I finally asked outright, “I meet all your qualifications, so are you reluctant to hire me because of my age?” To which the director replied, “We’re not allowed to say that.” I could see in reality, I was no longer viable in the corporate fashion world. Did I sulk? Yes, a bit. I was used to creative meetings with colleagues, traveling, daily creativity, promotions, raises……. AND the sample sales!!! How I missed the sample sales!! I always worked and was absolutely not ready to retire so with an ample amount of soul searching, I realized what I truly missed most was to be challenged and creatively stimulated in some way on a daily basis, and so I began to explore ways to reinvent myself.

A New Chapter

I learned about a workshop program in my area, given by retired businessmen, called S.C.O.R.E. Service Corps of Retired Executives, a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Association with branches all over the country. Start my own business?! Me? I can’t do that. I’m a creative, I don’t know the first thing about how to run a business. 

But I did attend a few seminars that seemed of interest and began considering the possibility. During my 35 years in the fashion industry, I made many contacts, worked with overseas suppliers and vendors, and knew the creative side of the business inside out. Colleagues were more than willing to advise me and answer my copious questions about the ins and outs of doing business and with the help of SCORE mentors, I felt it could be just the challenge I needed. 

So, I asked myself, what is it you LOVE? Easy….. dogs!!! I was a freeform crocheter for many years and at the time I lost my job, the pet industry was escalating into a fast-growing business. I researched the pet wear market and saw adorable little knits that looked like miniature human sweaters, argyles, or Irish cable knits but nothing funky or boho…. a concept that was in its infancy 12 years ago. Given my background, I was always able to spot upcoming trends and this looked like one to watch. Also, at the time, the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC had latched onto the expanding popularity of the pet industry and was offering a pet product design certificate program which I attended in 2009 - 2010. 

There I learned about design, costing, merchandising, marketing, pattern making, illustration... all related to the dog world. I was hooked. That freeform sweater I had made for Lacy was my final student project and ended up being featured in the NY Pet Fashion Show in June of 2010, and then went on to be displayed at various pet events in Japan and Peru through to 2011. 

I finally felt I had found my new niche. With seed money from my dad, I designed and made six pet sweater prototypes and tried developing them in China, but was not satisfied with the quality. I then took them to Peru and worked with a fair trade artisan co-op that was able to create them using alpaca yarn which gave them just the right amount of warmth and the quality I desired. 

I felt confident enough to form my small business, Lollypups Designer Petwear, as a DBA, and had a website built. During that time, my 16-year-old pup Lacy passed away and I found it hard to concentrate. My first sweater collection arrived that September, so I threw myself into participating in pet adoption events, animal charities, and craft fairs, also donating a percentage of my sales to a cause I loved: animal adoption. I had a hard time with rejection when I tried to sell the sweaters to pet boutiques and salons, so doing events and fairs was my safe haven. 

Although the sweaters were beautiful and sold well at these events and on my website, they were seasonal and I realized I needed to offer other items now that the business was up and running, albeit slowly. I began to design and make harness vests and matching leashes with the stash of fabrics and vintage buttons and trims I’d collected from my apparel years. In August of 2012, Ginger Bee Bichon entered my life as a 5-year-old rescue. She became my model, loved to join me at live vendor events, and drew in customers admiring her attire. 

There was my missing link: a sales dog!!! The CAD programs I had forced myself to learn came in handy for my own design process and eventually, I opened my Etsy shop which is still operating 10 years later and happily still “in the black.” 

Ageism

It was truly a growth process, and as I look back, a mostly positive one. I don’t think I realized how burned out I was in the corporate world. Researching trends, attending vendor events, and shopping for fabrics and trims were all part of what I did then, and easily transitioned over to what I do now. 

Having total control over my products and how I sell them was daunting as was trying to function as a salesperson, too. I wanted nothing to do with the possibility of rejection ever again, so of course, I made mistakes along the way. 

However, I’ve made many loyal and repeat customers over the years, I think because I directly engage with them by inquiring about their pets, sending personal thank you notes or little gifts with first orders, or sending Holiday cards…. treating them like friends because I believe they really are. 

Dog people are very generous with their praise for my products and that helps me with any self-doubt that may creep into my psyche from time to time when I wonder if an item is perfect. 

I don’t think about ageism at all anymore all because I’ve taken control of my own destiny. I believe everyone has a gift to create, whether it be an item or concept to sell or expertise in a business that would be useful to others. I feel that anyone experiencing ageism (which will always be there lurking in the corner of the business world) should embrace the opportunity to reinvent themselves if need be.

Business has changed so much, with technology and the internet the learning opportunities are there for the taking. It’s important to nurture your gift and not fear it, to maintain an inquisitive mind, to stay current, no matter what your age. 

Fear of failure is a powerful emotion but is not impossible to overcome. Failure enhances the learning process so it should not be feared.

I’m not making a fortune, but I love what I do and that, along with my grandbabies, are all the reward I need at this juncture in my life. My advice to anyone experiencing ageism is this: those same youngsters who dismiss you will be in the same position someday….so maintain your sense of humor with that thought in mind and don’t give up.

Hugs and pats,

JoAnn and Ginger Bee Bichon

Lollypups Designer Petwear

P.S. To read about more insights into starting a business, failures, successes, and ridiculous anecdotes about the ups and downs of participating in craft vendor events, check out my blog.

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