Entrepreneurs find that Girls Love Frogs Too
Lisa Meyer says her 6-year-old daughter is somewhat of a tomboy in her interests, and she found that she had to shop in the boys section when looking for shirts sporting what her daughter loved - trucks, cars and sports.
This frustrated Meyers.
"I was disappointed how clothing suppliers typically market to young girls, basically offering only fairyland themes. It made me wonder about the message we are sending young girls," she said.
The mom was tied of buying boxy shirts for her daughter, for example. So she and her friend Jennifer Shimp of Fox River Grove decided it was time to offer young girls an option.
They started Girls Love Frogs Too, a clothing company that presents a line of T-shirts designed to inspire young girls. From frogs and dinosaurs to cars and rocket ships, Girls Love Frogs Too delivers feminine T-shirts sporting traditional male themes for girls aged 2 to 7. The women, selling the shirts from their Web site, hope to expand the size offerings and make the shirts available in stores.
After the initial idea took shape, Shimp, who once worked in the apparel industry, worked with a graphic artist to come up with a logo as well as designs. Armed with a fashion-design degree, Shimp came up with a variety of designs, including cars, frogs, rocket ships, trains, dinosaurs and science.
The themed picture is on the front of the shirt with the corresponding words to match such as "Girls love space too" or "Girls love cars too."
The shirts are designed, printed and packaged in Illinois. Pricing starts at $22.50. Meyer, of Lake Barrington, has an accounting background and was a risk manager in commercial finance for 10 years before the birth of her daughter.
The entrepreneurs say their business goes beyond giving the girls something that they like to wear.
"We're also trying to let little girls be inspired and empowered by their ideas," Shimp said.
The women say it's about giving girls the ability to dream.
"They can dream about being a scientist or a race car driver," Shimp said.
The women joke that there is not an actual princess that a young girl can model herself after.
Shimp also has a 6-year-old daughter. She admits that she is more "girlie," but loves wearing the shirts from the new line.
For more information, check out girlslovefrogstoo.com.
Kim Mikus covers small business and retail. She welcomes comments at kmikus@dailyherald.com or (847) 427-4567.