Sweet n Swag

Sweet N Swag was born a little over five years ago, but not in the way a company or brand typically begins. A tragedy that struck a friend moved me to try and help in some small way. Because of that friendship, I was able to do a little good for someone I cared about deeply and have received more good in return than I ever could have imagined.

My friend took her young family on a short vacation to visit some extended family.  During the trip her baby, Porter, came down with what all believed was a simple ear infection. After a visit to the doctor for a round of antibiotics, Porter’s condition quickly worsened, he was hospitalized, and it was discovered he was not suffering from a simple ear infection. After a few intense days in the hospital, the doctors believed they had discovered the true issue, and were effectively treating the infection that had attacked little Porter’s nervous system. Unfortunately, Porter’s little brain and spine had been stressed to the point where he suffered a grand-mal seizure that ultimately took his life.

My friend lost her son, was in another state, and didn’t know how to pay for her son’s hospital bills and upcoming funeral. The emotional and financial strain was overwhelming for her and her young family. I wanted to help. We had $100 to donate and I wad determined to turn $100 into something more.

I decided to take the money that I would have donated to help cover a small portion of the costs of Porter’s medical and funeral expenses, buy fabric, make hair-bows and bow-ties which was already a hobby of mine and sell them to raise money for my friend’s family. I started Pennies for Porter.

I spent the next couple of days making as many hair-bows and bow-ties as I could. I stayed up all night timing myself with each bow. I made just over 200 in 2 days. I sold them to family, friends, and neighbors. The proceeds quickly grew to more than I would have been able to donate without the work, and we were able to help Porter’s family. The efforts also attracted additional donations, and several people came together to help Porter’s family.

Despite my best efforts, I was at least initially better at making bows than selling them. After selling all I could, and giving the money to Porter’s family, I still had several left-over bows. A friend mentioned that I should try selling them on Etsy.  So, I pulled out my phone, snapped pics, and set up an Etsy shop. 

I remember being so excited after selling my first bow on Etsy. I remember enthusiastically explaining to my husband how if I could sell a bow a day we could counteract the daily interest accruing on our student loans.  The bows were a hit, and we quickly started selling more than just one a day.

Soon I was having difficulty keeping up with orders, and my body knew waking up at 3:30 to keep up was too much. I needed help. So, I reached out to my friends, and they came to my rescue. Soon, there were four or five of us crammed into the extra room in our condo making bows every day. We had a blast.  We were all working together, having fun, and being able to be schedule it so we could be with our young children. What initially was meant to help Porter’s family was now helping each of our families. It was giving us greater financial freedom and more time to spend with those special to us.

Sweet N Swag grew from there and continues to grow. We went from bows and bow-ties to moccasins, moxfords, and more. We will always remember how and why we started: To Do Good. We continue to try and do that by donating shoes  to new-born intensive care units across the country, sending shoes to Africa, homeless shelters, and oncology units. Each time we give, we receive so much more.

We love the Sweet n Swag story and are honored to carry them in Mapamundi Kids!