“She kisses my boo-boos, she braids my hair. My mother is beyond compare. We love you mothers everywhere.” – Despicable Me
Angie Benita Preissner named her Wisconsin-based small shop BooBooLoveys after her daughter, who she affectionately calls “Boo Boo.” “When my daughter was born, I became a stay at home mom, but I felt like I wanted to help to provide for my family in some way and contribute to society,” she explained. Since opening up shop in September 2018, Preissner has been hand-sewing minky loveys and patchwork security blankets for littles. “BooBooLoveys is definitely my creative outlet that I am otherwise lacking as a busy mom. I love knowing that something that I created brings fun and comfort to so many little ones.”
The sweet loveys are approximately 14.5” in length and come in a variety of animal designs, including the popular unicorns, bunnies, farm animals (like cows and pigs), cats, foxes and deer. The animal heads are lightly stuffed with hypoallergenic poly-fil and each face is hand-embroidered by Preissner. “They are all like my little babies,” she joked. “Each character has something special about it, but I have always been a huge fan of the bunnies. The long ears are perfect for little hands to hold on to.” Preissner uses silky soft fabric and luxe fleece to comfort baby-smooth skin. “The downside of working with minky fabric is the huge mess it makes, but it is so soft and perfect for little ones to cuddle with.” The shop also accepts custom lovey orders. “The most meaningful was a bunny for a rainbow baby,” Preissner shared. “The mom had lost three babies prior to her current pregnancy and I felt honored to be able to create something special for her.”
It is well-known that the small shop lovey business is competitive, but Preissner has been working to carve out her own niche. “Having a small business is tough! Sometimes it is hard to compete with big online retailers, especially when it comes down to the price,” she said. “When customers purchase from me, I hope they know that I pour my heart and soul into my products. They are not being manufactured in a factory overseas by the hundreds. All of BooBooLoveys’ plushes are handmade by me in my sewing studio and every single one is unique. My to-do list is always super long and it takes around 3-4 hours to create one lovey. No two loveys are ever alike and I think that makes them extra special.”
What is BooBooLoveys dropping next? “I am trying my best to create new and exciting stuff and my customers always have the best ideas and suggestions. All my loveys have been animal-inspired so far, but there might be a few different items coming to the shop in the near future (wink).” Check out all the loveys in the BooBooLoveys Etsy shop and join Preissner’s VIP Facebook group here to keep up with future releases.
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