The Spot Interview with: Sophie and Spice

Who is Sophie and Spice and what sets you apart from other boutiques? Where are you located?
Sophie and Spice is an online boutique for the hip, modern mom and child. Sophie and Spice sells mommy calling cards, birth announcements, name plaques, pop art portraits and photo collages, and onesies. What makes my site different is while I offer a lot of products, all are designed by myself and I am a professional illustrator and designer. I work from my home office in suburban Philly.

How did you come up with your business name?
Sophie is my daughter’s name. I wanted something that would evoke the playful nature of childhood and the modern, funky look of our designs. Some people say I am the "spice". :)


When and why did you decide to start your own business?
I started it in fall 2006, a few months after Sophie was born. Before that I did design work and a lot of freelance editorial illustration; I have a BFA in Illustration from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Most of the illustration work I did were short deadline jobs which really wasn't going to work out with having a baby. I also wanted to do something that was 100% mine, I think I had one too many jobs illustrating an article about something I had no interest in!

How did you get started?
Initially I just wanted to do baby photo collages because I do youth sports poster collages for photographers (http://www.jillpearson.com/sportsposters.html ). I started working on that, and my family and friends urged me to make it a separate website. A year later, I now have a whole line of products! I already had a computer, home office, etc. so the start up costs were not too much.


What motivates you to keep your business going?
My daughter of course, and I really love what I do!

Do you have a particular product that's unique/best seller/that you are promoting on your site?
The mommy cards are by far the best seller. The Warhol style pop art portraits have also been doing well, and this is not just for babies. I even just did one of a dog! I just began to sell photo birth announcements and I expect that they will also do well.


How do you juggle family and work at home?
One step at a time! I work in the morning before Sophie get up, and then during her afternoon nap. When I am busy I can work when my husband is off, in the evening, or call grandmom! I guess when Sophie is older it will become more difficult, but I’ll figure it out when the time comes!

What advice would you give to moms seeking to become a WAHM?
Don’t think about WHAT you can do to make money at home. Think about what you LIKE to do and then figure out a way to make it a business. This is not something I “fell into”, it’s simply the path my career took.


Visit Sophie and Spice at: http://www.sophieandspice.com

I also run The Boutique Square (http://www.theboutiquesquare.com) which features reviews, giveaways and sales for everything from jewelry to baby to home décor by mostly indie designers.

Stores that carry Sophie and Spice products:
Just my site, but I'd love to branch out someday! I find that while drop shipping may help get your name out there, it also forces you to charge a good deal more for your products. I’d prefer to keep things affordable.