JANUARY 17 Welcome to our new website!  We hope you find it organized and easy to use.  We are still learning how to construct things.   :-)  We have added a lot of new features and have tried to make this site more informative for our customers.  We are currently updating our testimonial page, as well, so if you would like to email us your child's photograph along with a brief testimonial, we will be happy to feature them on that page.   As a creature of habit and someone who does not like change, I was not really thrilled when we received an email from safeshopper (our old website host) saying that they were going out of business because we had a short amount of time to figure out what we wanted to do for a new site and learn the task of building it ourselves.  Add that on top of a busy work load.  :-)  Speaking of work load -- we have been busy getting our fall/winter 2008 collection launched at market.  I hope you like the collection!  January designed 2 groups (Perfectly Suited and Leopard Spots Pretty Polka Dots) and I designed the others.  I think she did a fabulous job, as always.  The group names are: Poochie and Plaid Jane of the Jungle Caramel Mocha Latte Back in Style Argyle Berry Brook Cottage Perfectly Suited Leopard Spots, Pretty Polka Dots How fun it is to see all of our new models wearing the new collection on our new website!  I guess 2008 is ushering in a new beginning for us, in many exciting different ways.  Anyway, take time to look around.  I hope you enjoy the new website and the new collection.  If you have a moment and think of it, drop us a line and let us know what you think. We love to hear from our customers! .....g 9:42 pm est

2008.01.01

NOVEMBER 10

Our beautiful fall color is starting to come to an end here in Asheville, NC.    These are some of the images I was able to capture when we were at peak a couple weeks ago.    Not the most vibrant fall we have ever had but still magnificent!

Our Gooma Girl 2007 Search has ended and we were happy to find several new girls to represent our brand. We always have some disappointed moms afterwards and I try to let them know that I am just one of so many brands.  I encourage them to go to the James Girone website and browse the many different brands websites to possibly contact them and see if they are in search of a new model for their brand.  I would also say, please make sure that this is something your child enjoys and has fun doing and not just something you want your child to do.  There is a big difference.

Thank you to everyone who participated!
....g

 "An opinion is just that -- an opinion -- and if I would have taken to heart every single one I ever received, I would not be in business today"

OCTOBER 23

Peak season has finally arrived.    My favorite time of year!    The cool nights, the crisp air, the vibrant colors, and the smell of wet leaves and wood burning fireplaces.    Time to just breathe, relax, and savor the beauty.

Love it all!

....g

OCTOBER 21

We recently had the fun honor to be chosen as the #1 boutique brand for Fall by E-Boutique Magazine Online.

My interview with them appeared in their latest issue, which is copied and pasted here:

E-Boutique Online Readers' Choice - Fall Favorite Announcement

Interview: Gretchen from Baby Gassy Gooma

-------------------------------------------------

E-Boutique Online Readers Have Chosen    Baby Gassy Gooma to receive The Award of EBO's Fall Pick

There are many companies with exciting lines and fabulous colors and fabrics it gets difficult to choose just one for our semi-annual pick so I thought I would let our readers have the opportunity to express their opinions. We received nominations for several manufacturers and from there narrowed it down to Baby Gassy Gooma.

Some of the comments given about Baby Gassy Gooma were, "I love how every season Gretchen, the designer, comes up with new looks that are fresh! She also keeps little girl's looking like little girls."    "Gorgeous!"    "The most adorable outfits and very unique style I have found."  "Love the romantic colors and feel of the clothing....gives a real girlie-girl look!"

By the way, be sure to visit Gooma Girl Search 2007 to see the details of Baby Gassy Gooma's Model search. They are looking for a few new faces to show off their incredible clothing.    If you have a daughter in sizes 12 months to 7 and are really good with those special photo shots, be sure to check out the search details. Good luck to all who enter.

I am honored that Gretchen took the time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions for me. Thank you, Gretchen, for giving such detail in your answers. We look forward to seeing more of the great designs you are known for having.

How long have you been in business? Baby Gassy Gooma became a wholesaler in 2005, which is when we started displaying our product nationally at market and started using reps to market our brand around the country. In 2007, we hired international reps to start marketing our brand around the world. Prior to 2005, we were a custom made-for-you clothing business and had individual customers who ordered from us.

What influenced you to design your own children's apparel and start a business? It started with a simple prayer of wanting to make myself useful to God. I was stuck at a dead-end-job where my salary was maxed out and I knew there had to be something more fulfilling in life. Not knowing what that would be, I started asking Him to give me purpose and to use my life to do whatever He would with it. I simply desired one thing -- a life to be used for His glory, with whatever talent He had given me. A few years later, He birthed this creative dream inside of me to start designing clothing. Odd idea, since I was never formally trained in fashion. I am someone who used to go to a fabric store and upon seeing a fabric that would catch my eye, would start envisioning finished styles before I even left the store. It just came naturally to me. I was always the artsy girl with a sense of style, who worked as a makeup artist and as a retail manager in the clothing business, but that's about it. I was never formally trained in fashion. I am a quick learner and had to be when I stepped inside an industry which I knew nothing about. I had a lot of passion to get my dreams off the ground but that's about it. I had to reach out and ask a lot of people for help including our Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Technology Development Center. I wasn't afraid if I ever came across something I didn't know how to do. I was always calling people and asking them for help or researching on the Internet for sourcing information.

Did you encounter any stumbling blocks as you got started or even today?    Absolutely! We had problems finding a good factory who could produce our detail-oriented kind of clothing. Many local factories were experienced at t-shirts and jogging pants and when they took a look at our clothing with all the ruffles and detailing, they would tell me "we don't have the equipment necessary to do this kind of work." That was one of the first major hurdles we had to overcome. We are now using our fourth factory and it is overseas. They are prepared to handle our growth for many years to come. In this business, there are a lot of things that happen beyond your control as well and that is hard for a self-admitted control freak to experience. Like, when your factory tells you they have to re-print a fabric resulting in a 30-day delay or when they are running behind on production so much so that it might extend beyond your customers order cancellation date (the date by which they are to receive the goods in their store or else they have the right to refuse their order).

How have you handled those stumbling blocks? With any production setbacks we have experienced, we found the easiest way to combat that was to get on an earlier design schedule. Instead of submitting our sample sketches and specs to our factory 90 days before market, we now submit them 180 days before market. Whereas, if a problem does come up, we have a timeline cushion built in place with more time to work with so that our season isn't really affected anymore. That is one of the biggest changes we made and things are now going well. Our most relied upon method of getting thru stumbling blocks has been prayer, however. Our constant prayer for our business is for God to guide us and open doors for us, to give us wisdom where we are lacking, and to guide us thru this industry where we have no experience. He gets all the credit.

What kinds of mistakes have you made and how have you overcome them? Some of the biggest mistakes we have made are ones that have cost us financially. With one of our first collections that we ever launched at market, our New York rep received a $42,000 order from one store and she called to cancel the entire order two days before we were ready to ship because she said her business did not take off as she anticipated it would. Here our factor had approved this store as having good credit, however, we never thought to collect a deposit on the order. Due to that situation, we now have a policy in place for any order over $5,000 where we now require a 50% deposit.

Another mistake we have made is being far too trusting with stores who had asked us to ship merchandise to them COD. Last season, alone, resulted in $18,000 worth of COD checks with insufficient funds. As a result, we will no longer ship any merchandise via COD. One of the stores even filed bankruptcy recently to get out of paying us on their $6,000 order. If there is one thing that takes away from my enjoyment in this business, it is when calculating people set out to steal from you. You find yourself having to spend the time to create new policies just to safeguard your business from them! And, believe me, it makes you really value and appreciate all the honest and ethical business owners who do pay on time all the more after having experienced a few bad apples. :-) We want to be able to design a beautiful product, ship it on time, have customers enjoy it, and hope they pay their bills on time. It's a really simple goal.

Of your outfits so far, which is your most favorite and why? It would be impossible to pick one favorite outfit of all-time because there have been so many different styles, I wouldn't know how to begin. I do have favorite groups per season, for instance:

Spring/Summer 06 -- my favorite groups were Aunt Emmas Orchard in the blue colorway and Springtime in Savannah.
Fall/Winter 06 -- it was Paris in Winter and Boho in the Snow.
Spring/Summer 07 -- Ooodles of Poodles and Roses and Ribbons.
Fall/Winter 07 -- Check Mate and Wild At Heart.
Spring/Summer 08 -- A three-way tie between Lake Shore Drive, Aunt Emmas Roses and Roses of Nantucket.
Fall/Winter 08 -- (our new collection that will launch in the next couple months), all I can say is "Jane Of The Jungle." :-)

For me, it is usually the fabric I fall in love with and also how close the physical samples turn out compared to how I originally envisioned them via sketch.

(p.s.....thank you, Debbie, we appreciate the award!)

....g

SEPTEMBER 29

Our 2007 Gooma Girl Search has officially begun.    We launched it last night.    We are looking for several new models for our line.    The search will run from September 28 thru October 30.

It feels like one of those "build it and they will come" moments from "Field of Dreams."   I don't know where they come from or how they find out about us, but they always come in droves.   Lots and lots of entrants.    The search has grown so big in just a couple of short years, it always amazes me.   Just mom and dad photographers emailing us pictures of their children.   However, now, we are starting to see professional photographers enter some pictures of their customers kids, which is fine too.    We never require the photographers to be professionally licensed (only that they be able to take a great quality shot) but that is the trend I am starting to see with the search.

It is always fun to try to assemble the team of models for the next season's collection.    I love a collaborative look, with all different ethnicities represented.    It looks more normal to me, especially having grown up in Chicago, where I grew up seeing beauty in every race.

Hard to pinpoint why I am drawn to certain winners but it is usually a happiness in the eyes and if their personality is conveyed.    Gotta have personality!

I appreciate the photographic talent of so many.    Some of those who enter have their own photography websites and I am just amazed at their beautiful talent that they share with us.

I am honored that so many enter and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

.....g

SEPTEMBER 18

Whew ----- finally thru with our fall/winter distribution!    All orders have shipped, so, if for some reason you have not received your order please check with us to make sure it is not on hold awaiting payment info.  It is shipping a little later than planned which, sometimes these things happen, but we were happy to ship complete to everyone and to ship our first fall/winter collection.

 ....g

JULY 10

 What have we been up to?    Well, we are getting the spring/summer 2008 collection ready to show at market which means getting the collection modeled, ads made, catalogs prepared, shipping the line to our reps.    This is the fun side of the business, which I love.    Seeing the designs that were originally in my head, now in physical form and on the models.   The image shown above, of Kennedy, is from our new nautical group, "Lake Shore Drive."    The collection will be debuting on our site next month.   

From a creative standpoint, when I designed it, I was kind of running on fumes.    We had been designing back to back seasons to get ahead of schedule and the whole collection was designed in just a month.    I hope you like it!   

Speaking of designs, we are also wrapping up our fall/winter 2008 collection (yes, we plan a good year ahead!) and I was happy to have January back helping me with this season, after sitting out last season with her new baby.  We hope you like it!

 ....g

MOTHERS DAY -- MAY 13

 In My Daughter's Eyes

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daugter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes
                                    --Martina McBride

Happy Mother's Day!

....g

APRIL 11

I have been contacted by a few up-and-coming designers in the past several months saying they have been inspired by us somehow, someway, and wanted to see if I could offer them some advice.    When time permits, I am happy to help people and will take their calls or answer their emails.    It gives me time to reflect on where we have come from and provide other designers some sound advice based on experience.    When we started out, this was all unchartered territory, and we had to learn everything hands-on and rather quickly, as this is a very fast-paced business.    Having never been schooled in fashion nor having had industry experience, we did make a lot of mistakes but thankfully we made more good choices than bad.

More than having an attractive product, I say you have to really love what you do and be passionate about pursuing your goals.    Don't compare your success with anyone elses -- your dreams are yours and theirs are theirs.    God has given you a unique set of talents and abilities that no one else has, so your goals and business model will probably be different than theirs, so don't compare, and really know who you are and set your mind on where you are headed.    There are going to be lots of challenges and obstacles you will have to overcome.    Don't beat yourself up about it and know that it is not the end of the world when things go wrong.    Just learn from them and make the necessary changes.    Perseverance is really crucial.  With every inch of success, keep improving and fine tuning those areas that need improvement.    After two years of national selling, we are still trying to tweak our sizing and provide faster ship times.    I am a constant perfectionist, so it will be done.  Commit your business to God, pray over it daily, and ask Him for guidance constantly.  My husband and I have learned to be more and more dependent on God thru this business, so it has been a blessing in building our faith.

I would sum it up with the three P words:  passion, perseverance, prayer

...g

MAY 24

Our Jade Dynasty kimono dress and tights are featured on the cover of It's A Kidsworld magazine this month.    Our model, Rachel, is wearing it and her older sister, Ellen, was the photographer who captured the beautiful shot.    Exciting moment for all!

A huge "thank you" to Caryn at It's A Kidsworld for letting us grace your cover.    We appreciate your support!

....g

MARCH 23

It's been a little while since I have posted.    Things have been busy -- distribution of the spring/summer collection should be finished within the next few days.    It was sent to us later than anticipated but I am learning to be thankful even when things do not go perfectly and according to how I think they should.

I took some time to reflect this week of where we were two years ago so I pulled up our spring 2005 modeling shots.    We had one model then, Chaislyn, who is pictured on our hangtags.    I was thrilled to find this beautiful child to model for us, with a sweet and charming personality that came thru in her shots -- a great match for our line.

But I was thinking of where we were two years ago.    We had just begun using our first factory.    We started to advertise.    We started using our first rep to market our brand around the country.    A lot of mistakes and mis-steps were to come, but I am learning to be thankful for every single one of them.    If we never had any difficulty, we would not learn how to grow or persevere.    So, I am thankful for all the bad moments and the seemingly endless valleys, when I was within days of giving up my dream.

It was during one of the loneliest times, 3-1/2 years ago, that I prayed the Bible verse that is posted at the very top of this page, Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" over my life and over the business.    It is a day I will always remember.    I was standing 6,684 feet above sea level, at Mt. Mitchell, the highest point East of the Mississippi River. All I saw were broken dreams in the midst of a very dark valley but I began to trust God for my future with what that verse said, believing that He knew what was ahead.

Let me say firsthand, assuredly, and wholeheartedly, that He is a restorer and uses ALL things (the bad as well as the good) to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.    He meets us where we are and restores what is seemingly lost, so for that -- I am thankful.

....g

JANUARY 4

When we mailed out our questionnaires to our customer base a month ago, a common question that a lot of customers had for me was "what inspires you?"

That is hard to pinpoint.    I am a soulful dreamer, drawn to many beautiful things.    Colorful fields of wildflowers in bloom, the delicateness of fresh-fallen snow, the rich hues of a beautiful sunset.    I am inspired by sentimental things when I look thru my mother's photo album, seeing how my grandmother and aunts dressed in the 1940s/1950s/1960s.    I am drawn towards vintage prints but I like putting a modern spin on things.    Growing up, I was inspired from the era of the "supermodel" with glamorous images of the fab four -- Naomi/Cindy/Christy/Linda.    I enjoy watching the Oscar pre-show just for the gowns and seeing all the movie stars dressed up.    Usually, I have not seen 1/2 the movies up for awards, but I tune in just for the clothes.  I have walked thru the linens section of a department store and upon seeing an interesting comforter detail, would think "now that would be cute to see at the bottom of a skirt".  I have one of these minds that is always set to go and always thinking of new ideas.  I have never been afraid to experiment, ever. 

I like it when women and girls look feminine and it is important to me that all of our clothing reflects that.    I know January feels the same way in her designs.  You will never see us using skulls or crossbones, it's just not our thing. Whether we do a vintage-inspired or modern silouette, it will always be feminine.    Most importantly, I do pray before each collection's designs, for creative vision. I have to say my favorite thing to do in the designing process is fabric hunt and I could spend all day doing it.    I have learned to now stick with my gut and only go with the fabrics that jump out at me.    If I have to think too long about whether or not to use one, I discard it. I don't really think our clothes fit into any one specific mold.    Our clothes are usually sophisticated with charming prints, sometimes a bit whimsical, sometimes a bit funky, but always feminine.    I try to stay true to what I love because my name is on it.

...g

"Don't compare your success with anyone else's success.    Your dreams are yours and theirs are theirs."