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Monday, Feb. 01, 2010

Little hat shop keeps little ones in style

ATWATER -- In a little shop in an industrial park, Jamie Wells makes hats that sell almost as well as hotcakes.

Jamie Rae Hats, Wells' business, makes hats for babies and young children, and despite the economy, the little shop is doing a booming business.

"I've finally grown to a point where I am selling to stores like Nordstroms, and to other countries, like Japan," Wells said.

Each hat that goes out of Wells' business is hand-decorated by employees at the shop. There are about 30 colors of hats to choose from for baby girls. And boys aren't left out. Wells makes sure that there are cool hats made just for tiny boys, decorated with tie-dye or skulls.

Wells got the idea of the hats about six years ago, when her daughter was a baby. "I was always putting bows on her hair," Wells said.

After deciding to make her own hats, Wells started small, working out of her own home. Then the orders started coming in.

"Whimsy started stocking them, and I figured if they could sell in Merced, they could sell anywhere," Wells said.

Sheri Browning, owner of Whimsy, a children's shop in downtown Merced, said she likes Jamie Rae Hats for a couple of reasons.

"She's a local girl, and we like to support local," Browning said. "Plus the hats are eye-catching, they're darling and they sell well."

And despite a slow economy, Wells said her hats are still selling well.

"People like to splurge on babies," Wells said.

For the future, Wells hopes to expand and add more employees.

"I'd like to think that I'd make it to No. 1, and be global," Wells said.

That would cap all her hard work.

Reporter Carol Reiter can be reached at (209) 385-2486 or creiter@mercedsun-star.com.