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10-year-old entrepreneur Gabby Goodwin’s hair barrettes are changing the game
GaBBY Bows are saving lives for frustrated mothers around the nation
We’ve all experienced the joys and pains of pretty hair bows. They’ve been too loose or too tight. They’ve sometimes grown legs and walked away, or have been so clingy we’ve had to cut them out of our beautiful, kinky coils.
Gabrielle “Gabby” Goodwin and her mom, Rozalynn, were all too familiar with the highs and lows of this accessory. Instead of putting up with the hassle, Gabby decided to create a double-face, double-snap barrette that makes it nearly impossible for a bow to perform its usual disappearing act.
Gabby, a 10-year-old entrepreneur from South Carolina, and Rozalynn began designing what are now known as GaBBY Bows five years ago after a frustrated Gabby insisted that the pair should “make a bow that works.” From there, the mother-daughter duo began experimenting with different hair accessories before settling on their own design with a double-face enclosure that secures the bow to the hair for minimal slippage. In a demonstration video, the hair is wrapped around the center of the barrette while the double-snap design holds the hair in place.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=7hAF80Ed4kw
“My mommy and I solved the age-old problem of disappearing girls’ hair barrettes,” Gabby wrote on her website. “… GaBBY Bows won’t slip out of pigtails and pin-ups. We have never lost a bow!”
In its three years of operation, GaBBY Bows has gained major attention. There have been positive testimonials from mothers across the country praising Gabby’s ingenious invention. In 2015, Gabby earned recognition as the South Carolina Young Entrepreneur of the Year. The following year, Gabby was named the American Small Business Champion by SCORE and Sam’s Club, and GaBBY Bows was named SCORE’s Outstanding Diverse Business of the Year.
As Gabby’s ideas grew, Rozalynn helped her daughter create a Kickstarter page to expand the brand. After they raised $28,000 from more than 300 supporters, there have been online orders filled in 50 states and eight countries. Gabby also received a distribution that allows the bows to be sold in 50 Once upon a child stores in 16 states across the nation, according to the GaBBY Bows website.
Gabby not only wants to solve hair problems but also hopes to inspire other young girls with their own ideas.
“My advice to other girls is if you believe you can achieve,” Gabby wrote. “Try your best, work hard, and persevere and never give up.”