Shady Lady founder Allyson Mandelbaum has combined her passion for the beach with an innate eye for design to fill a major gap in the market. Realizing for some time that shopping for a 'baseball' cap was impossible: Designed predominantly for men, they were all too stiff, too big, too youthful, too bedazzled or too sporty..which let's be honest, it's not for everyone. ShadyLady is designed with "the softest, most comfortable materials around and made to fit a woman's head.
It's also made with a mission: Loving and living at the beach like many, Allyson understands the critical problems happening around our country with eroding beaches and beach/ocean pollution. That's why a portion of profits will go towards cleaning up our beaches and keeping them healthy for generations to come.At its core, Shady Lady hopes to inspire fun times and make you smile, something we all could use now and forever. As a mom, she also added in several matching kids designs, "who doesn't love twinning with their little ones!"
I had a chance to interview Allyson to learn more.
Why did you create Shady Lady?
As a mom of two small kids I rarely have the time or energy (let's be honest) to wash my hair but still want to look cute even with dirty hair. So last spring I was on the search to find the perfect hat, but came up empty handed. Hats were either too stiff, too big, had team names on them or adorned with cheesy catch phrases. After a lot of unsuccessful searching I came to one conclusion: if I couldn't find the hat of my dreams I had to make it. Which is how Shady Lady was born. I immediately started sketching, sourcing the softest material I could find and perfecting the measurements to fit a women's head- no more sweaty boy caps. Exactly one year later in May of 2020, Shady Lady hats were ready to ship out to customers.
How have current events affected your business launch?
When I planned the Spring 2020 launch of Shady Lady, I planned on having my kids in school 5 days a week, so I could focus on the business. I had two stores lined up ready to carry the hats and was planning to pound the pavement going into stores with the product. I was excited to attend gifting shows all over the country to get Shady Lady in front of buyers. All of those plans quickly went out the window, but that's ok, I look at this pandemic as the first lesson in having to make things work as an entrepreneur. I have not wasted (much) time thinking about what could have been, instead I'm focusing on how to succeed in our current climate. I'm focusing on our website and getting the word out through social media and digital marketing. plus, it helps that these hats are great for covering up Covid roots.
Why are you focusing on giving back to beaches?
The beach has given me and my family so much joy! I grew up going to the beaches in Fairfield, CT and they are the setting of some of my best childhood memories. The beach for me is therapeutic, it's where I go to relax, exercise, think and unwind. I'm so lucky now to be able to take my kids to the beaches that I grew up on to make their own memories. The beaches have given me so much that I had to give back. That is why a portion of our profits each year will go towards cleaning up the beaches and keeping them healthy for generations to come.
Six women's designs available, $29, ShopShadyLady.com
Three kids designs available, $26, ShopShadyLady.com
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