Wheaton Woman Finds a Labor of Love
Two years after retiring, Fran Brooks was inspired by her daughter to establish a homebased business. "My daughter showed me a darling pillowcase dress she had bought for her daughter and said, 'mom, you could create these little dresses.'" Fran began experimenting with the pillowcase dress design. She realized that she didn't have to limit herself to pillowcases and began to use a variety of fabrics and trims to make the dresses. In March of 2009, she set up a shop on Etsy called NiNi's Notions and began offering her designs. She also attended several craft shows. Her husband created a work area for her in their Wheaton home where she can keep all her materials organized
"It's a hobby for me," says Fran. "It is fun to shop for fabrics and trims. Every dress is one-of-a-kind unless I get a request for two dresses alike. I try to fill requests like a recent one from a woman who wants a dress out of fabric with Tinkerbell on it." Some customers have written to her about wearing the dresses and one recently sent her a picture of her daughter wearing the dress at a birthday party.
This personal connection has been rewarding for Fran who is now working on creating her own website for her dresses and hoping to expand into local boutiques. "It was once said that real success is finding your lifework in the work you love. NiNi's Notion is truly my labor of love," sums up Fran. For more information, www.ninisnotions.etsy.com
