At four months, Aaliyah MacNeil is possibly the youngest model ever to work the St. Albert Farmers’ Market.
Every Saturday she’s tucked in her mother’s arm, the perfect model for a line of girly tutus. And her cuddly cuteness is a no-fail magnet for shoppers on the lookout for that special something.
Mother Brandi MacNeil and grandmother Leona McGonigal started specializing in custom made tutus after MacNeil wanted to buy the tulle garment in a specialty shop for a friend’s daughter.
“It cost $60. I said ‘You’re not running out and buying it. I’ll make it,’” said McGonigal. Now a retired civil servant, she had for years run a side-business creating and sewing wedding dresses.
Taking a store-bought Onesie (one-piece baby garment that snaps at the crotch), brightly coloured tulle and co-ordinating ribbon, McGonigal whipped up the first tutu in less than a half-day.
“These are reasonably priced – about half the price. We don’t believe in gouging people. We just like making pretty stuff.”
MacNeil, now on maternity leave, was so impressed by the workmanship, she pushed the idea of a mother-daughter business and Heavenly Kisses was born. “I’m trying to find a way to quit my day job and stay home with the kids,” says MacNeil, a financial advisor for Scotia Bank.
“I enjoy doing this. It’s a passion and to spend quality time with my daughter is a bonus,” McGonigal added.
Two months ago the Edmonton-based duo kicked into high gear, buying sale bolts of fabric and ribbon and turning the McGonigal house into a sewing centre. “My kitchen table hasn’t been cleared in two months and my dining room is stacked high,” laughs McGonigal.
They meet for five hours a day with a clear division of labour that uses an assembly line technique. Tutus range from baby sizes to outfits for seven-year-olds. Although they crank out half a dozen tutus a day, the start-up stock they sewed is already half sold. “Somebody out there likes the stuff. It’s a good feeling.”
Eventually the duo hopes to sew costumes for dance recitals and at the moment the St. Albert Farmers’ Market, with its huge variety of eclectic shoppers, is the perfect vehicle to promote their product.
They also share a booth with Christina Finlayson, a good friend that makes floral headbands under the name Flower Band Boutique. A stickler for child safety, Finlayson takes apart each flower and re-glues it with eye-popping embellishments. “The glue is acid-free and if they put the flower in their mouth, it won’t come apart.”
A splash of white, pink and purple, this booth located on St. Thomas Street is awash in femininity. For more information email [email protected] or [email protected].
The St. Albert Farmers’ Market runs every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on St. Anne Street. Free park ‘n’ ride is available at St. Albert Centre.
