Hidden Gems: Meet Ashleigh and Samantha of Buttons & Bows

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashleigh and Samantha.

Hi Ashleigh and Samantha, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Ashleigh Hampton: At a young age in my free time, I was caught doodling characters. The more I drew, the more ideas came. That lead me to sketching clothing items with those characters. When I got into high school, that was when I started to sew. I started off sewing aprons and purses. As my skills increased, I started sewing T-shirts and leggings and more. After recently finishing college with my degrees in both Fashion and Fashion Merchandising and working at various high-end clothing shops, the loss of my job and quarantine pushed me into a new direction. I decided to start sewing masks and items for family and friends.​

Samantha Flynn: Growing up, I always wanted to be a fashion designer, I would make clothes for my barbie dolls and sketch whenever I could. I learned to sew when I was in sixth grade in a sewing group held after school that is when I knew I wanted to make it a career. On my own, I started sewing quilts, bags, wallets, and aprons. I decided to move out to LA for college to get a degree in fashion. When quarantine started, it was really hard, not knowing what to do, so I started sewing quilts again and helping make masks. Thats when I meet Ashleigh through a close acquaintance, we discovered that we both had the same idea for our future. After doing our own sewing projects, we realized how great we work together; that is when we came up with Buttons and Bows. Having the same passion and plenty of time on our side we decided to go on an entrepreneurial adventure. Having babies born in both families, we decided it would be fun to create unique hand-made clothing items for our family and friends. As we started this journey, we were working out of the living room in our home, and as business started picking up, we were able to move into a larger space where we now work full time from.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some of the challenges we have faced throughout this journey has been the limited amount of space we started off with, broken sewing machines, and financial hardship. These obstacles have only pushed us to do better and appreciate everything we have now and are working towards.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Buttons & Bows?
Buttons & Bows is a Children’s boutique that we created and is currently an online-based business. We specialize in Children’s products and accessories like clothing, bibs, blankets, stuffed animals and more. We hand make a lot of our items and also carry vendors that fit in with the aesthetic of our brand. We are proud to be able to have the ability to hand-make and create our products while doing what we love to do. We want our readers to know that they can trust our business and services, and we are here to create the best products for their children with love in every stitch. You can find us through different social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram @buttonndbow. We also have a fantastic website where you can see all of our products and special offers at buttonsndbows.com.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Sam: I remember growing up, I always kept a book with me where I could keep all of my creative designs. Looking back on it now, it humbles me and makes me grateful for all I have accomplished. When I was in sixth grade was when I knew that I really wanted to make sewing a career because I joined a sewing class and my teacher pushed me to be as creative as I can be.

Ashleigh: As I move forward in this journey, my mom reminds me of when I was younger and I would draw these funny looking figures and have the best time dressing them up. Now looking back and knowing what I am doing, it is great seeing how far I have become. Once a little girl dreaming and sketching now making the most of everyday.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.buttonsndbows.com
• Instagram: buttonndbow
• Facebook: buttonndbow
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ButtonsndBowsStore

Image Credits
Elliott Hampton