For Kathryn Hoff, a sweet surprise of the pandemic was launching a business.
Kathryn lives in Milwaukee with her husband Josh and two-year-old daughter Daisy, with a baby girl about to join the family in September. Her company, Lily Kay Co., began with fun and sparkly handmade hair clips and has already expanded into fabric headbands and resin alphabet packs.
Kathryn, whose tagline is “mama made in Milwaukee,” shares more!
How and when did Lily Kay Co. start?
I started Lily Kay Co. in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. I work in healthcare full time, but was needing something to fulfill my creative side. I had been making hair clips for my daughter and some friends wanted some for their kids. I originally just started selling through Instagram. I thought I would mainly be selling to friends and family.
Adrienne, from Little Sprouts Play Cafe, took a huge chance on me. She purchased my first wholesale order and really helped me get my name out there. I so appreciate her helping me out in those early stages.
Your clips and headbands are so beautiful! Why did you decide to focus on these?
Thank you! I love a good accessory! I started out with making hair clips for kids only and then started making some for myself. I branched out into resin work after seeing some resin clips at a big box store and thinking, “I could do that, and I could put my own spin on it.” They turned out to be a hit! The headbands were a natural next step. I love wearing headbands myself, so I decided to teach myself to make them.
Where do you get your ideas and inspirations for your pieces?
I mainly just focus on making items I want to wear and what I want my daughter to wear. Finding fabrics for headbands is one of my favorite parts of the job. I try to buy from small fabric designers whenever possible!
Please tell us about your alphabet packs!
I started my alphabet packs shortly after I started Lily Kay. I wanted to make more items with resin but wanted to stick with the theme of the business mainly being geared toward kid items. I love making these sets and it’s fun to see the creative ways kids use the letters.
What have been some of your most popular items so far?
The most popular items I have are the personalized clips. Most people spell out their child’s name, but I also do bride clips and mama and mini sets as well.
What’s it like to run this business?
This business has been the biggest blessing to me. I needed something creative to keep me excited. At times, it can be tough to balance everything, but I am so proud of what I have created and grown in the last year or so.
How do business and parenthood intersect for you?
It has been incredibly fun, but incredibly challenging for me to balance family life, my full-time job and this side business. I was so blessed to have this little business expand quickly for me, but I started to fall way behind when I had a medical emergency last summer and then once again when I got pregnant early this year. I took a few months off to focus on me and my family and it’s just what I needed! I now feel more inspired than ever to keep creating for this business. My family is so supportive and helpful. My husband helps me to ship and deliver orders and my daughter is the official tester of products.
What are your favorite things to do as a family?
I am a registered dietitian, so good food is so important to me! Our family loves to try out all the amazing restaurants Milwaukee has to offer. We also love to walk by the lake, hike and go to Brewers games.
Why do you choose to run a business and raise a family in Milwaukee?
Milwaukee has been home to me for most of my life. My husband was raised in a different part of the state, but I love how at home he feels in Milwaukee. There is so much to do as a family. Everyone is so friendly here and I feel so cheered on by the Milwaukee moms out there to keep creating for this business!
What’s next for you?
I will be taking a maternity leave this fall, but I have high hopes to offer more hair accessory bundles and learning bundles with my resin letters, shapes and numbers to be ready to ship for Christmas!
– Katie Vaughn
Katie Vaughn is the editor and co-founder of Northerly. She is a University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University-trained journalist with experience as a writer, reporter, editor, blogger and author. She lives in Madison with her husband, daughter and son, and is always up for an adventure.