Spot-light on: PopArtBabies.com

Meet the Mom Behind PopArtBabies.com!

Who is PopArtBabies.com? Where are you located?
PopArtBabies.com is an online boutique gift shop with a creative services twist. The process is simple. A customer selects from over 70 Artwork Styles and nearly 90 distinct gifts—everything from handcrafted silver jewelry to chocolates. The PopArtBabies.com Art Department creates original custom artwork based on the customer’s own uploaded image. The customer approves a proof, the item goes into production, and the finished product arrives on their doorstep shortly thereafter.


How did you come up with your business name?
Pop art (and pretty much anything visually fun) is our passion. Babies and kids are our inspiration. So we married the two and it was a no-brainer.
When and why did you decide to start your own business?
I’ve been in the freelance Graphic Design/Web Design business for the last couple of years, following the birth of my first child and some years in the corporate world prior. PopArtBabies.com came into being in 2008. It just seemed to be a natural outgrowth of my design business, The Pixelle LLC (http://www.thepixelle.com). With my freelance creative services experience, I was able to take an idea simmering in the back of my head and make it a reality. The PopArtBabies.com concept is something I’m passionate about and it makes me to so happy to hear my customers get so excited when their gifts arrive. There’s just no better feeling. And like every other WAHM, being able to be there when my family needs me is the greatest reward of all.


What motivates you to keep your business going?
I love what I do. I love hearing/reading about how PopArtBabies.com creations make people happy. I love having a sense of control over my work and life. I love not wasting my time/energy on petty corporate politics and being able to focus on the job at hand: creating awesome art to put on fabulous products and making someone’s day.
Do you have a particular product that's a best-seller on your site?
It’s a virtual smorgasbord as to the gift items that we offer. Everyone has different tastes and we see that reflected in our sales. One day the Rubik’s Cube® is hot. The next it’s the handcrafted silver jewelry that’s catching everyone’s eye. The story is a little different when it comes to the Artwork Styles, though. The classic multi-panel pop art designs in the bright color palettes have been far and away the favorite among our customers, followed by the daisies. There’s really something for everyone!


How do you advertise your business? Which methods proved successful/effective?
Word of mouth from our own customers and from their friends/family who have seen their custom gifts has been our most effective advertising to day. We’ve done some of the more traditional methods, but we find that actually getting out there and talking to real people is what works for us. We like to be social butterflies. We hang out on myspace (http://www.myspace.com/popartbabies) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/PopArtBabiescom/21160133347) and try to remember that there’s a world outside of our 4 walls in here.
How do you juggle family and work at home?
Despite working out of my house, most days my little boy is in daycare. With the demands of what will amount to 4 businesses by the end of the year, it’s the only way I can manage it all. I love that he gets to interact with a group of little ones near his age and socialize outside of our small family. It provides him with certain experiences that I don’t feel I’m able to provide as one person at home.

I have to say that I don’t think I’m all that great of a juggler when it comes to family/work. I’m either Mommy or I’m a business owner. If I try to do both at the same time, I’m not doing either well and that’s not acceptable. When my son is in daycare, I’m there for my customers 110%. In the mornings, evenings, and every other time I’m Mommy, I’m there 110%. I appreciate and value each moment of my day because I’m able to devote myself completely to the role I’m playing at that time.


What advice would you give to moms seeking to become a WAHM?
You have to love it, whatever “it” is. You have to love it so much that working hard at it doesn’t really feel so much like “work”. If you don’t love it, don’t even try it. Not everyone will succeed. But with love as the main ingredient, that’s hardly a recipe for failure.
Current promotions/specials at PopArtBabies.com:
PopArtBabies.com has just released the PinkPop Artwork Styles, benefiting Breast Cancer Research. Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes and goes, but the challenges facing millions of women are year-round. PopArtBabies.com invites gift-givers to help make a difference in the lives of real people. A full 25% of the purchase price of each of these special edition Artwork Styles will be donated directly to Breast Cancer Research. The PinkPop Artwork Styles will be offered all year long to maximize donations to the cause.


Anything else you'd like to add about PopArtBabies.com or about being a WAHM in general?
I think that any Mom—no matter what the individual circumstance/product/business—who works at home is something that inspires awe in me. I don’t really see myself like that. I just do what I do and now I do it at home. It’s everyone else. It’s all you other WAHM’s. You all amaze me. You all deserve all the kudos and special rewards that come from being a WAHM.

Visit PopArtBabies.com at: http://www.popartbabies.com




(Note: Logo, product images and interview responses courtesy of PopArtBabies.com. Please respect their work and do not copy and/or alter their images and words. Thank you! )