Montgomery Woman Puts a Bow on Success

What started out as ribbons and a barrette has turned into a home grown business for one Montgomery resident.

Michelle Bolman began making hair bows for her daughter, Madilyn, 5, a few years ago, as well as for the children in the daycare she operates out of her home.

“Word-of-mouth got around and slowly it became, ‘Can you make something to match this dress or for the holidays?’” Bolman said.

Then, she was referred by a friend to consider selling her creations at Second Born Consignment, which opened in downtown Oswego in June. The move has proven to be a success.

“That’s kind of where it all blew up and expanded,” Bolman said.

With her Shell Bell Hair Bows business, Bolman can spend can spend anywhere from 20 minutes to more than an hour to create her handcrafted pieces.

She waits until after Madilyn and her 2-year-old son, Coleton, are in bed before she gets to work.

“I have so much fun creating and designing new pieces,” she said.

Bolman’s company name comes from her grandfather's nickname for her. “I thought it had a cute jingle to it,” she said.

Her hair bows bring rave reviews from customers.

“My things are priced very reasonably,” Bolman said. “And I’m a little bit of a perfectionist (with the creations). People love them.”

Second Born Consignment owner April Brossett said the bows are a popular sell.

“We get people coming in for them,” she said. “And they special order bows. They look forward to the next holiday to see what the next bows are that are going to come out.”

Check out Bolman’s pieces at Second Born Consignment or on her Facebook site.