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Late nights sewing children’s clothes and doing the rounds at local markets has paid off for working mum, Kristy Chartier from Nowra.
Starting Dragonfly Kids just over four years ago in 2012 she was hand-making clothing to sell at markets. “Then I started making educational toys using my childcare background – things like bean bag toys and felt games,” Kristy said.
In June 2014 she released a toy that changed everything. “I released my Find Me Bag and that went crazy,” Kristy said.
The bags contain 24 items – 20 pictured on an accompanying card and four mystery items for children to find within.
“I released it in a work-at-home market on Facebook – I released one and within a week had orders for 100,” Kristy said.
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Later she attended a baby expo in Wollongong, where an educational toy shop asked her to wholesale the Find Me Bag and make other products for them.
“That really gave me the kick-start into thinking I could open my own store,” she said.
Kristy moved into Kinghorne Traders in February of 2015 and has since expanded to stock more sensory therapy tools like weighted blankets.
“Kinghorne Traders really works for me – I have four kids at home and this is a way for me to get my product out without working five or six days a week. I work one day a week and I’m still able to get everything I need to done,” she said.
“Kinghorne Traders really benefits people, because it has such a wide variety, it’s not just one focus. There’s a range of presents for different people.”
Dragonfly Kids has gifts and items for children from newborn through to age 10 or 11. Kristy still hand makes all the clothing she sells as well as a lot of the sensory items.
“A big part of my focus is providing for special needs kids. There’s nothing else in the Shoalhaven for that target market and I have a lot of occupational therapists and places like Noah’s sending people here. Also if people are after something in particular I can source it for them.”
There are also gift certificates available.
See Dragonfly Kids on the web at www.dragonflykids.com.au or find them on Facebook.
Find out about Find Me Bags
When Dragonfly Kids owner Kristy Chartier released her Find Me Bag, things went nuts. But what exactly are they? Find Me Bags are handmade fabric bags containing plastic poly pellets and 24 items for children to find. Twenty of these are pictured on an accompanying card and four are mystery items.
“I’d seen something similar and did some research and came up with my own design,” Kristy said. As well as being educational, it is also sensory. “Children are able to manipulate the bag, it’s something they can concentrate on. Mums can keep one in the car if they need something quickly.”
An alternative to screens, the Find Me Bag is great for children with ADHD, sensory processing disorder, autism, or kids who like to fidget.