BEVERLY — "They hold your hands only for a little while, but your heart for a lifetime."
This old saying accompanies all orders of Forget Me Knot Mittens ($29.95). The postcard containing the note is meant as a thank-you to customers, but it also speaks to the foundation of the company.
Kara Taylor started Forget Me Knot Mittens about two years ago from her Beverly home. As a hurried mom in a cold climate, she'd often forget warm gloves or mittens for her two daughters: Alexandra and Elle.
This recurring scenario gave birth to the idea of a two-in-one mitten. The larger mitten follows the classic pattern. However, a smaller mitten is then sewn into the larger one. This unique design protects both the adult and child from the cold while holding hands.
"It's a very nostalgic, sweet thing to me — holding hands," Taylor said.
Howard Ludwig says a Kickstarter campaign helped make the gloves available in more colors:
Taylor was immediately excited about her idea and turned to her crafty friend — Steffany Joassin in the South Loop — for help with the prototype.
"I do not knit. I don't," said Taylor, who also works in pharmaceutical sales.
Joassin quickly got to work, designing Taylor's mittens based on her rough sketches. It took four attempts before a "workable" mitten was created. Eager to show off her design, Taylor wore her mittens while shopping downtown with her daughters.
"I was walking down Michigan Avenue and people would stop me every couple of minutes to ask about the mittens," Taylor said.
The overwhelming response pushed Taylor to find a manufacturer for her product. She petitioned 107 manufacturers in the United States but couldn't find anyone either willing or capable of making the type of wool mitten she envisioned.
A family friend in St. Louis eventually put Taylor in contact with a salesman with ties to several Chinese manufacturers. It took seven months and a dozen rejected prototypes, but Taylor finally received her first order of 500 mittens at the end of October 2013.
"I figured if they sell, great. If not, everyone I know is going to be getting mittens as gifts for the rest of their lives," Taylor said.
On the same day her order arrived, Taylor launched her company's website and Facebook page. She also created an Etsy account and applied for ABC's "Shark Tank."
Taylor sold out of her mittens within 2½ months. In addition to her online sales, she also sold Forget Me Knot Mittens at area craft shows and local vendor events.
At these events, several customers expressed concern about the child's other hand — the one not being held. In most cases, the toddler can simply put his or her hand into their pocket.
For those insistent on mitten for the child's free hand, Taylor returned to the manufacturer to produce a pair of child-size mittens. These traditional children's mittens are now available in a bundle ($35.95) along with Taylor's signature Forget Me Knot Mittens.
Taylor's enthusiasm for her product was further fueled by interest from the producers of "Shark Tank." Forget Me Knot Mittens were all set for a September taping, but then were a last-minute scratch. Still, the entrepreneur doesn't regret her failed attempt at television.
"I learned a lot about business in a very short amount of time," she said. "You have to instantly hone in on your strengths for that show."
Undeterred, Taylor continued to pursue large retailers willing in stocking her clever mittens. New York-based Bloomingdale's showed interest but asked for a wider variety of colors. Forget Me Knot Mittens had been available exclusively in heather gray.
Taylor turned to Kickstarter to fund the production of additional colors, including kelly green, winter red, black and fuchsia. The crowd-funding campaign successfully raised $3,162 on Sept. 11.
While working on the details of her trunk show at Bloomingdale's in Chicago, Taylor is seeing an uptick in sales both online and at Belle Up Boutique at 1915 W. 103rd St. in Beverly.
She's predicting a strong holiday season for her unique brand of two-in-one mittens.
"They make a really cute gift," Taylor said.
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