“One of these mornings you’re gonna rise up singing, you’re gonna spread your wings, child, and take to the sky” – Summertime, Janis Joplin.

Amber Willson’s love of music is evident in everything she creates for her small shop, The Wild Bambino. “Music of every genre has always been a huge part of my life,” Willson explained. “My parents introduced me to all the classics of the 50’s and 60’s and my love only grew from there. I knew every word to every song my parents listed to. I found that every season of life can be brought back through music. It’s amazing the memories you can pull out when that special song comes on!” Willson aims to design apparel that evokes the same memories. “My favorite part about the design process is helping create memories for families. Helping families create a new memory for an old memory. A song they connected to, a show, a concert. Bringing the memory back to life through their child.”

In 2015, Willson, mom to two bambinos of her own, left her former career as an emergency room nurse and launched the Wild Bambino, focusing on trendy rompers, hoodies, dresses and jogger sets for tots size 0-3 months up to size 6/7. “I began making things for my son due to the lack of cool boys clothing,” she said. “I was quickly encouraged by family and friends to start selling my creations.” The name originates from Willson’s love for all things wild and free. “I’m a wanderlust at heart,” she exclaimed.

The Wild Bambino “Music Collection,” a personal favorite, features distinctive art work inspired by musicians Johnny Cash, The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and more. The shop also offers designs from beloved 80’s and 90’s movies and television sitcoms like Goonies, Sandlot, and Friends, among others. “Creating a new design for the first time is my favorite part,” Willson shared. “Watching the color and accents come together is so much fun!”

For Willson, “every little things is gonna be alright.” “This job found me, I firmly believe,” she said. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined my passion for creating things would bring me to where I am today. It truly found me during a time when I needed a new direction to go.”

Check out the wild rompers and jogger sets on the Wild Bambino website here and join Willson’s VIP Facebook group for upcoming sale drops and discounts. Plus, Willson offered readers a discount with code “bambino.” Keep rockin’!

Say cheese! Halle Ingram has been designing handmade wooden cameras since summer 2017 through her shop With Love, Halle. “‘With LOVE, Halle’ means that each wooden camera, every little thing I put into it, is made with love by me,” Ingram shared. “If you were to write a letter, you would always sign it ‘with love.’ It’s just my way of saying each individual camera is made with love for that special customer.”

As you might imagine, there is a fair amount of detail that goes into creating wooden cameras safe for tiny humans. Ingram and her husband handpick and cut the raw wood she uses for each camera style. “From that point, we sand and round the edges so they are not sharp for the little hands that will hold them,” she explained. “We drill the viewfinder hole and go over them again with a hand sander. It’s quite a long process.” Once the body of each camera is prepared, Ingram paints, designs and decorates the wood in accordance with the shop’s release theme. The cameras also come with an adorable strap made of a soft jute material.

With Love, Halle offers gender-neutral cameras for all different holidays, including a recently-released Valentine’s Day design, as well as various character-inspired themes (think princesses and superheroes). Ingram has designed cameras in every color of the rainbow – even a horizontal stripe rainbow camera, one of her favorites. Customers frequently make custom requests, including one who sought a Chick-fil-A theme!

Ingram’s cameras are such works of art that I hesitate to call them toys, but they are beloved by children. In a world filled with screens, these wooden cameras inspire creativity and unleash imagination. For Ingram, the best part is the feedback she receives from parents who purchase the cameras for their kiddos. “It is pure happiness. Hearing the moms tell me how their little minds work and how big their imaginations are. Seeing them mimic what their moms do while taking photos is amazing.”

Why cameras? Ingram fell in love with photography years ago. “My daughter, CiCi, had no interest in getting her photo taken,” Ingram recalled. “I had seen wooden cameras before and I wondered if I could make them. I remember walking around the hardware store with my husband, picking up every little thing and practically building the first camera there. It was a lot of trial and error.”

Launching With Love, Halle has been life-changing for Ingram. “My small shop has opened so many doors for us. If I didn’t do this, I would definitely find a way to bring happiness to others. Someway, somehow.”

Upcoming With Love, Halle drops include an “All Stained Release” on January 25 and then Ombré designs in pink, black, purple, and turquoise colors in February. Accessorize your next family photo with a wooden camera from With Love, Halle by visiting her website at withlovehalle.com or join Ingram’s VIP Facebook group here.

The exclusive print designs are the star of Hen House Apparel. “There is something so special about those pieces that no one else has, that you can’t find in stores or on someone else’s website,” said Niki Holderman, owner of and chief designer for California-based Hen House Apparel. “We make memories in what we wear and I want my customers to find joy in putting their children in Hen House for all those special moments.”

Holderman launched Hen House Apparel in August 2015 with lots of encouragement from friends, family and even strangers who would approach Holderman about her own kids’ handmade apparel. “Hen House Apparel was definitely not planned but so many good things aren’t,” she recalled. “Hen House launched at my kitchen table and just thinking about where it started to where we are now makes me very nostalgic!”

In the early days, Hen House Apparel focused on apparel for little boys, inspired by Holderman’s then-3 year old and 6 month old kiddos. The brand has since expanded to include apparel for both genders, like rompers, playsuits, cardigans, leotards, bummies and joggers, as well as Holderman’s signature print designs. Her favorite textile print is the “Giza” design, which she described as “timeless, minimalist and gender neutral.” Another favorite is the hand-painted watercolor buffaloes, commissioned by talented artist Victoria Grindstaff and released by Hen House Apparel this past fall. “When customers see our collection in person the first thing they do is comment on how soft all our fabrics are; the second thing is usually how cute they are; and the third is the high quality craftsmanship,” Holderman exclaimed. “I’m proud of every piece that comes out of my shop and I think my customers can see that.” Holderman’s boys also inspired the Hen House Apparel graphic “Make Big Waves” design, which restocks this summer. “My husband is a surfer and a shaper – we actually own a surfboard brand and factory – and we always tell our kids to go out in the world and ‘make big waves.’ So that design was created for them and it seems like other parents like it too!”

Designing apparel is second nature for Holderman, who found her initial interest in fashion and the modeling industry as a child. “I love bringing a vision in my head to fruition.  It is very gratifying to see something in your head, make it into something tangible and then have someone want to buy it,” she shared. “Creating clothing makes me feel good about myself and makes other people feel good; that’s what I am all about.”

Holderman often participates in west coast handmade markets, but if you are not local, you can also check out the latest Hen House Apparel collection online, in select small boutiques nationwide and through her VIP Facebook group here. Plus, use the code “smallshopdrop15” to save on your next purchase. Thanks Niki!

Did you know that the average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing and other textiles annually? According to Greenpeace, more than 15 million tons of used textile waste is generated each year in the United States, and the amount has doubled over the last 20 years.

The eco-conscious mission behind Canadian shop Throne + Thimble resonates with me. Throne + Thimble, launched in spring 2015 by Shay Bulich, focuses primarily on upcycled materials. “I feel that as a society, we produce so much, and such a huge amount of it ends up as trash. I prefer to break that cycle, and divert perfectly good materials from landfills,” Bulich explained. “I also enjoy the creative challenge. Taking a perfectly plush robe, cutting it all up and putting it back together is so much more fun than just working with factory made yardage!”

Although Bulich began her creative journey by crafting on YouTube and selling handmade banners and garlands through Etsy, Throne + Thimble has recently focused on plushes and lovies for children. And, significantly, using sustainable and preloved materials remains a core value for all of Bulich’s designs. Nearly 100 percent of textiles and clothing are recyclable and Throne + Thimble products are made from blankets, throws, bathrobes and related materials, which Bulich combines to create “the most comforting tactile snuggle experience.” Throne + Thimble also promotes good environmental practices and reduces waste by shipping orders in recyclable materials. 

The Throne + Thimble plushes feature hand-embroidered heart-shaped faces and are available in three delicious sizes – dollop, pie and bonbon. Even Bullich’s color selections, like toasted marshmallow and strawberries and cream, sound tasty. “I started off with more abstract designs,” said Bulich. “I love more open-ended toys, so preferred to keep my designs simple.” Another popular Throne + Thimble design includes the “Avocuddle,” a dollop-size plush made of two shades of green and a fuzzy brown for the pit and a sweet sleepy face.

Bulich finds inspiration everywhere and considers herself “fortunate to be surrounded by such an amazing and supportive community.” Her favorite part of the design process is “hand embroidering the face and adding little blushing on the cheeks. That is when they come to life for me. That is the moment that makes me go ‘awww! So cute!’”

What is next for Throne + Thimble? Bunnies! “My new bunnies are my current favorite. They are so floppy and squishable!” Take care of the planet and grab one to fill your Easter basket this spring by joining the Throne + Thimble VIP group or through Bulich’s Etsy site here.

“Don’t listen to people when they tell you the newborn stage is the hardest. The newborn stage is the best. They sleep, they cuddle, their little cry is adorable. Toddlers are savages. Toddlers. Do. Not. Care.”

Meet Anna Schaeffer and Hannah Null of Savage Tots Customs. If you are not familiar, Savage Tots creates custom apparel for boys and girls from newborn up to size 6/7, including shorts, joggers, t-shirts, rompers, cardigans and sweatshirts, among others.

Meet Anna Schaeffer and Hannah Null of Savage Tots Customs. If you are not familiar, Savage Tots creates custom apparel for boys and girls from newborn up to size 6/7, including shorts, joggers, t-shirts, rompers, cardigans and sweatshirts, among others.

Savage Tots, based in North Carolina, is a partnership between Schaeffer and her daughter Null. “I love working with my daughter most of the time. We do have our differences, but we balance pretty well. She’s a very hard worker and we couldn’t do this without each other,” Schaeffer shared. The mother-daughter duo began by casually selling shorts and joggers on Facebook and then launched their small shop by April 2018. Since then, the Savage Tots brand has taken off, and the shop has received over 1,000 orders in approximately six months. Schaeffer and Null are skilled seamstresses. Each piece of Savage Tots apparel is handmade with care. “I love making something new or different,” said Schaeffer. Null’s favorite items to make are the Savage Tots signature “shortie and hooded tank sets because summer is my favorite season!”

Savage Tots offers customers an array of different fabrics to customize their garments and many fabrics sell out immediately upon release. Looking for a hard-to-find fabric design? Schaeffer and Null specialize in tracking down elusive prints. One of the most outlandish requests Schaeffer has received was for a pair of joggers made of contrasting camouflage and stripe patterns for each leg. “A customer once wanted a mash up of three different Disney prints in one pair of joggers,” added Null. This just exemplifies the beauty of picking your own fabric designs!

Savage Tots strives to offer custom apparel at competitive prices, ranging from $15 and up. To customize your own Savage Tots fashions for your kiddo, join the VIP Facebook group here. Schaeffer also graciously offered readers a 15% discount by mentioning the code Viningdrop15.

Welcome to Small Shop Drop! This site is a collection of interviews with the makers, creators, innovators and momtrepreneurs behind some of the most wildly popular small shops. Please enjoy some of their stories behind the seams.