Meet Jessica Hargis | Owner and Founder of Charlie Lou Baby

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Hargis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I became pregnant with my son, I ended up with two slipped ribs and was put on bedrest for most of my pregnancy. With it being my first child, I spent the majority of my time on bedrest researching baby products and getting things ready for him to arrive. I learned so much about the baby retail industry during that time and had a lot of difficulty always finding what I was looking for. I was looking for the high quality products that would keep my son safe, but I also had a very specific vision for what I wanted them to look like. I’d find myself saying to my husband, “This is great quality and has wonderful reviews but I just wish it had this design or was made with different fabric.” After my son was born, he had a lot of health complications. Everything from extreme colic to a tongue and lip tie to Torticollis and severe reflux. We were completely overwhelmed and defeated on a daily basis. The days turned to months and things just never seemed to get much easier. Then one day I received a quilt I had purchased for night time feeds. I had been so excited for it to arrive and when I opened it, I hated the coloring of it. It was supposed to be beige and it was puke yellow! When you’re feeling so stuck in a bad place, constantly worrying about the health of your child, even the color on a silly little blanket can push you overboard. So I decided right then and there. I would start my own baby boutique. I would only sell our brand and get all of our products manufactured the way I wanted them and the way I knew my son needed them. He spent so much of his early life in pain and discomfort. It seemed like the only thing I could take control of was to produce products that would give him some comfort. Our bamboo apparel is the softest thing you’ll ever touch and the only thing my son never minds me putting on him. He’s more comfortable during the day and he sleeps better at night. And our first collection has checkered beige quilts, the exact quilt I had imaged, instead of yellow! So my thought process behind starting my business was really two fold, when I think about it. It was just as much for myself and as it was for my son. That’s what drives me to give everything I have towards it. It’s for me, and that pushes me, but it’s also for my son, and that’s what will keep me going, no matter what.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Charlie Lou Baby is an online baby boutique right now. We are working incredibly hard on growing our customer base and we hope to continue expanding our current line as well as add new products to the shop. I actually wrote a baby book this year as well and we are in the process of getting that published. It will be available on our site but we are working on making it available in book stores too! I would say the most difficult part of this business right now, is balancing my son and the workload. I made a commitment to myself that I would never prioritize the business over my son. As we grow, that gets more difficult and I’m working on finding that balance. It’s also extremely challenging to keep looking ahead and pushing forward during the beginning stages of this business, because we aren’t holding onto any revenue right now. Everything we make goes right back into the business to help it grow. My husband has a full time job, so we live off of that income. We aren’t struggling to survive or anything like that, but it can be difficult to keep pushing and pushing towards the day when you can actually take some of that revenue out of the business and use it on your every day life. It takes a lot of patience and commitment. The thing I’m most proud of is that we manufacture all of our own products, so we always know what kind of quality we are offering to our customers. Our community of shoppers is made up of moms and dads like us, so nothing is more important than offering the products we know they need like us. It has been one of the greatest joys of my life to have moms reach out to me and tell me our products are improving their lives with their babies. Just this morning I had a mom reach out to me and tell me she is so grateful for our bamboo rompers because her baby wears them every single day. Her story with her baby is a lot like mine, so the types of clothes she puts her baby in is just as important to her as it is to me. She told me about how she is actually out of work right now, so trying to find affordable baby clothes that work for her baby is so difficult and she is so thankful our apparel is in her budget. It really keeps my head on straight, because as we grow, it’s tempting to raise our prices to meet our competitors. But stories like hers remind me that this business is more than some money-making opportunity for us. It’s a chance to take what we have been blessed with and bless others. I just don’t know many more people that our more deserving of a light in the darkness than parents with new babies.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh wow. There is so much to do in The Greater Phoenix Area. You could spend a year here and never go to the same place twice. I think people often look at Arizona as this desert wasteland but it’s a beautiful, thriving and active yet also leisurely place to live and visit. As far as activities go, you can not visit Arizona in the summer and not go Salt River Tubing. A chance to do any water activity when it’s 100 degrees out is a good time. And bonus, you get to see wild horses. One of my favorite places to eat and drink is AZ Wilderness. They are a brewpub with amazing burgers, their own beers made with ingredients locally grown in Arizona and a real tree growing right through the middle of their restaurant! You also cannot go wrong with a margarita from Barrio Queen with Tajin on the rim! We have some of the most incredible resorts here as well. Our favorite staycation place is The Arizona Biltmore, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. You can even take a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s house in Scottsdale. It’s a part of ASU’s design school now, I believe. Of course, almost every team under the sun (pun intended) does Spring Training here, so we love to buy lawn seats and soak up the sun with a beer in hand. But the absolute best thing about Arizona, is monsoon season. There is nothing I love more here than the smell of wet creosote paired with some of the most incredible sunsets you will ever see. It’s something you will only experience in the desert and it’s truly breathtaking.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, every single thing I am blessed with, is because of God. He has given me a truly beautiful life, full of love, joy, friendship and family. And I’m even more thankful for the hard times He has allowed my family to go through. We truly are who we are because of the continual growth we have experienced through our difficulties. Second, I would be nothing without the unfailing support, unconditional love and strength of my husband, Evan. He is the best man in the world and an even more incredible father. He has given me so much encouragement and is truly my biggest fan when it comes to my business, even when it means he has to take on so much more with our son and around the house. I’m also very lucky to have my parents 20 minutes away. They are never short on meaningful words and wisdom, no matter the day, time or circumstance.

Website: charlieloubaby.com

Instagram: @charlieloubaby

Facebook: @charlieloubaby

Image Credits
Trish Vo