The failures that led to my first success (Part Two)

The story behind our kids lunch box inspiration

About a month later, I participated in a holiday consumer show where lots of moms with strollers were shopping for holiday gifts. As I stood behind my 6 foot table for hours on end, very few people showed any interest in my $125 diaper bags.

However, the lady at the table next to me had a lineup around the corner for a $20 holiday gift item of a rolled up chalkboard mat shaped like a cloud that came with 3 pieces of coloured chalk.

I remember feeling jealous of her success, and went home exhausted and with a heavy heart.

That night, I lay in bed thinking late into the night, and realized that I needed a lower priced item to sell at shows like this. I racked my brain for ideas of what kind of product that this could possibly be.  

I had always loved the look of silkscreened art on linen tea towels that I would see at artisan shows. That night, as I fell into sleep, I had a dream.

I dreamt that I was at a consumer show, and displayed behind me on the wall were a collection of beautiful linen lunch boxes, with colourful silkscreened designs on each of them. 

I woke up the next morning and said to my husband “I’m going to design lunch boxes” with a determination that he had come to know.

4 months later, I booked another appointment with the sales rep that had kindly turned me down, asking her if I could show her my new samples.

As she sat turning my lunch box samples in her hands, there was a long, pregnant silence. And then she said “If you decide to let me represent you…”

She ended up representing our line for almost 10 years.  

Thanks for being the first to believe in us, Leeanne.