The 30-year-old mother of two small children has sought out unusual refuges to take phone calls while running her business, Baby Cappelli, from home.
Another indication is that not many business owners can say a major department store carries their hat line.
But that's what Wells has done recently, adding Nordstrom to her clientele list. A buyer for the store ordered 302 hats Monday.
Since she started Baby Cappelli in late January, Wells estimates she's made about 420 hats and sold about just as many. "Cappelli" is Italian for hats.
The kids' caps are available on her Web site and in more than 20 boutiques nationwide. In Merced, they are on shelves at the downtown gift store Whimsy and at Rascals in The Promenade.
That's not too shabby for a self-described stay-at-home mom with no formal business training.
Wells said she is following in the entrepreneurial footsteps of her parents, who owned A Touch of Brass gift store in Fresno for 10 years, and now own Trappers Bar and Grill in Shaver Lake.
Her own venture started with a downy-haired baby: her daughter Emma, now 2 years old.
Wells initially dabbled in making her own hair accessories when she found store-bought clips too large for Emma's fine locks. One thing led to another, and Wells started making and selling hats to friends from her Mothers of Preschoolers group and a scrapbooking club at her church. Wells also has a son, James, 4.
"All my friends' babies also had no hair," Wells recalled with a smile.
Her popular cotton beanie caps are embellished with flowers, rhinestones and feather boas at a craft table in the Wells' bedroom, situated where the dresser would be. Each hat retails for about $18.
With her husband working irregular hours as an engineer with the Merced Fire Department, Wells decided to resign a then-career goal of becoming a nurse. Though happy with her choice, Wells said, something was missing.
"I wanted a little something extra," Wells said. "I didn't necessarily want to go to work and be away from the kids, but I wanted something to keep me sane... Every stay-at-home mom knows that feeling."
Her home-based business has allowed her to be a home-based mom. She can schedule around her children and still find time for work.
"I love the fact that I can still take off to the parks," Wells said. "I can make the hats and watch 'Survivor'."
James is in preschool when Emma takes an afternoon nap. Both have to be in bed at 7:30 p.m., giving Wells ample time -- for now -- to work on her designs.
Taking business phone calls, while tending to two children, has presented the biggest challenge.
"My kids would be screaming," Wells said. "It can be so embarrassing. They want your full attention all the time."
The aspect Wells said she relishes the most is marketing.
"That's the funnest part," she said.
Wells has had 300 postcards custom-made and mailed to potential clients. Additionally, her creations are scheduled to appear in the trade magazine, "Earnshaw's," which focuses on infant clothing, this summer.
The Internet has proven to be an essential part of the mix.
Wells established her first contact list by going to the search engine Google and typing in "baby boutiques."
Her first order came when a store in Lebanon, Tenn., ordered 10 hats. Within a week, the same store called to order another 10. Now, her geographically diverse clients are everywhere from Oregon to Massachusetts and abroad in Scotland.
Wells has also been able to shop around for suppliers and research the industry online.
Now that the business has rounded the start-up corner, and with her daughter starting preschool next year, Wells said she is keeping an open mind to what lies ahead. Possibilities include expanding the line to include other accessories or increasing sales volume.
"Once your name is out there, and you create a good name, you never know," she said.
BIZ PROFILE
Baby Cappelli
E MAIL: jamie@babycappelli.com
WEB SITE: www.babycappelli.com Business reporter Patricia Jiayi Ho can be reached at 385-2472 or pho@mercedsun-star.com.
