Branford Small Business Spotlight: Just Buttons

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. And that’s the belief behind this exciting series — to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

• Business: Just Buttons
• Owners: Kelly & Tim Leonard
• Website: www.justbuttons.org
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/justbuttons
• Address: 59 School Ground Road, Ste 7, Branford CT

How did you come up with the name?
We wanted a name that would be easy to remember and showcase what it is that we do. Just Buttons, simple and effective.

Why start a business in this town?
We started Just Buttons out of our spare bedroom back in 2009 when my husband and I still were working full time jobs. Within a short span of time we had outgrown our spare bedroom and moved the operation to our basement. By 2010 we had outgrown our home and needed to find a space. We looked at a lot of spaces, and landed here in Branford.

What business are you in?
Just Buttons manufactures custom pin back buttons (flair, political and retail buttons) in seven shapes and twenty-one sizes. All our parts and machines are American made and sourced. From our buttons we can create key chains, zipper pulls, magnets, coasters, pocket mirrors and bottle openers.

What’s the most difficult challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?
One of the most difficult challenges we’ve had is finding the right people to work on our team. We’ve had our ups and downs, but the team we have now is fantastic. We are producing more buttons than ever.

What’s been your proudest achievement since opening?
There are so many! We have an amazing and talented team. Working together we managed to grow this little business during a recession. We produced two million buttons last year and are set to at least double our production this year.

How does your business give back to the community?

As a small business, our resources are limited, however, we have a strict policy for donations/discounts. We only donate/discount our services for groups, schools, causes in our own backyard. From sight word buttons for classrooms to Relay for Life buttons, we do our best to work with our community.

Would you like to see your small business showcased in this series? Email wendy.mitchell@ patch.com