Cream City Cutie. Good Natured. Not My First Fish Fry.
If you’ve loved seeing kids wearing shirts with these phrases, you can thank Raising Good, a Milwaukee-based family apparel brand.
Created by Ashley Connell, Raising Good celebrates Wisconsin life and family with an upbeat spirit and cool designs.
And she knows a thing or two about both, calling Milwaukee home for the past fourteen years and raising two daughters — three-year-old Ruby and Vada, who was born in September — and French bulldog Primo along with her husband Chip.
Ashley shares more …
What do you like most about the city? What are your favorite things to do there?
I love that you can be anywhere in Milwaukee in about fifteen minutes. You get a sense of small-town neighborhood, but packed into a city. I truly enjoy Milwaukee in the summer. I love all the festivals, great food and easy access to the lake. I love trying new food and restaurants and sitting outside at one of the many beer gardens, and we especially love time by the lake.
When and why did you start Raising Good?
Raising Good was started in late September of 2019. I was a senior corporate event planner for a large law firm, but I decided to focus on being a new mother that year. I left my job and in the coming months would follow my passion of owning my own business.
As a new mom, I was so proud and wanted to show that off via my clothes. I wanted clothes that my daughter, myself and my husband could wear that matched, but also represented who we were. I made the first few items for us and from there the wheels started turning that I should share this with other families too.
The idea behind Raising Good is that we celebrate Midwest culture, traditions new and old, inclusiveness and positivity. These values are expressed through the sayings on our clothing. The design inspiration comes from our everyday life here in Wisconsin.
What have been some of your favorite or most popular designs?
I think one of my favorite items is the fish fry bibs. I made the My First Fish Fry for our daughter Ruby. Jokingly, my husband said, well, she needs a Not My First Fish Fry too, since it won’t be her last. So we made that design as well and I would say it has been a bigger hit than the original.
How do parenthood and entrepreneurship intersect for you?
Running a business during the pandemic, having a part-time job and being a parent to
young children is very challenging. I’ve been fortunate enough to have my husband Chip’s help in supporting my entrepreneurial dream. We say “mama-owned and family-operated” because without the support of my family, the company wouldn’t exist.
I run the business out of our home, so our daughter has spent time sitting in our designated stock room playing with boxes, company stickers, tags and other items while I’m packing orders or doing inventory. It’s a part of our everyday life. She knows about the post office and how we drop off packages. She knows when we pull boxes out into the living room floor to pack wholesale orders after dinner that Mommy and Daddy are working. Plus she’s the best model for our kids clothes and now her new baby sister can join in on the fun too!
What do you hope your kids get from seeing you do this work?
I hope our kids see how a small idea can become something bigger. I want them to see that entrepreneurship is hard, but it is also very rewarding. If you have a passion for something, see it through. It won’t be easy, and you may fail, but taking a chance on something for yourself is courageous. I also want them to see how being proud of where you are from and your values is something many people share and that is why our messages through clothing really resonate with others.
Why do you choose to live and raise kids in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin has a lot of close-knit communities within it. Even Milwaukee has a small-town feel for a city. As transplants, I think we love the duality of having the city life, but also in a short drive you can be breathing in the air of the Wisconsin woods. We want our children to experience all of this as they grow.
What are some of your favorite things to do as a family?
We love attending local events, such as festivals, outdoor concerts, farmers’ markets and holiday celebrations. We also especially enjoy time outside. In the warmer months we make it a priority to be by water at least once a week. It helps that Milwaukee has public beaches that are a quick drive from home.
What are you looking forward to this holiday season?
With the pandemic hitting us hard last year (which was our first full year in business), we are looking forward to seeing people at markets in person this holiday season. We will be at Hovercraft on December 6 and the Milwaukee Makers Market on December 18.
Ashley is giving Northerly readers a special discount! Simply enter Northerly at checkout at raisinggoodshop.com and get 20% off your order. Thanks, Ashley!
– Katie Vaughn
Photos courtesy of Raising Good.
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.