Sharks Won't Bite

"You should go on Shark Tank"! 

When people hear about Majamas and how I started this company, they relate my tale to one they've heard on that show. 

My response? "None of those sharks would ever bite at my business." We believe in making our garments the right way, not the cheapest way and for the most part, investors care more about big margins than the human cost of doing business.

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

People assume that when something is made in the USA, it's made in bright, beautiful shops and all the employees are happy and paid well. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case.

Twelve years ago, I was working with a contractor who assured me her shop was clean and well run, but when I went to inspect it, I found a complete mess. Bundles of junk and un-sewn goods were everywhere and the room was dark and hot. The workers were sweating (literally a sweat shop) and no one was happy. 

I realized that even though I thought I was doing the right thing by sewing in a U.S.A.  shop, supporting this woman's business was wrong. She didn't care about her employees and if she didn't care about the people she spent most her time with, she wouldn't care about my work. 

Our sewers work in clean and well-lit shops

I immediately pulled my production from this shop. Cut fabric, thread, trims and half-sewn garments. Overwhelmed and awkwardly lugging these armfuls to a rental car, I stumbled and watched half of them fall to the ground. As I stood looking at my production clumped in a pile on a dirty, city street, a man approached me and asked if I could use some help. Through tears, I answered, "Yes, thank you!" and as we walked to the car, he told me he had a sewing shop up the block. Through all this chaos, I had a stroke of luck; this man is now one of our most treasured contractors and his work is not only beautiful, but his shop is too.

He runs a family business. His brother, sister and mother all work with him and their employees work in a clean, well lit environment. They are paid a fair, living wage and their work shows it.  They are respected by their employer and in return, they respect him. 

Running your own business is a continuous "learning experience". No one told me to inspect a shop before contracting with it, but that day I learned to never hire a contractor without seeing their business first.

Majamas on Shark Tank? 

Not going to happen unless I'm one of the Sharks on the panel. Then, I would be the one investing in those fellow businesses doing things the right way, not the cheapest way. I'd insist the contractors take good care of their employees by paying fair wages and giving them clean, bright working conditions.   

Let's face it, most capitalists are greedy and only care about the money they can make, but at Majamas, we care about everyone involved in our business. It's the right way to operate and as a consumer, we all need to demand our products are made this way.  

Being Present

As I sit in my new office at 2140 W. Fulton, I breathe a big sigh of relief.  We are finally feeling settled into our new space and I am grateful we got thru these past 10 months.  Moving is tough and this move was one of the hardest steps to take in the 16 years we've been doing business.  We not only moved our business but we launched our new baby line, Shirley & Victor.  These two phases combined nearly made me crazy.  I'm not just saying "crazy" lightly.  I really lost my mind.

Russell and I work out a lot.  He was an elite, competitive swimmer and water polo player and he continues to swim Masters 3-4 times per week.  I was also a competitive swimmer and former triathlete.  When business gets tough, we tend to run together and discuss our challenges of the day.  One chilly February morning, I stopped right in the middle of our run and broke down in tears.  Not something I do often and definitely not something Russell expected to have to deal with that day.  I was exhausted from lack of sleep and so overwhelmed with stress, I completely lost it. 

Josie, happy to be in the new space

Years ago I walked into a doctor's office and saw the words, "Constant Stress is a Killer" written on the wall.  I can tell you first hand, this is true.  So how did I muster thru one of the most difficult times in my career?  I began to meditate.  I read Dan Harris' book, 10% Happier and started adopting some of his meditation techniques.  Not only did I start to sleep a little better but I was able to focus on the tasks at hand.  The first thing I did was to practice trying to be completely present.  For just 5 minutes each day, I forced myself to become 100% present in whatever I was doing.  I stopped the noise in my brain and really forced myself to listen to the person speaking to me or focusing 100% on whatever I was doing.  Every morning after working out I would lay on my yoga mat and just be present.  I started doing this for five minutes each day and before I knew it, I was meditating for 30 minutes.  Each night before going to bed, I drank a cup of "bedtime" tea, turned off the news and sat quietly, listening to my breath going in and out.  I am convinced without meditation, I would have been put on medication causing a slew of other complications I know I was not up to dealing with.

I'd like to say I no longer have the stress I had a few months ago and although it's gotten much better, I have daily challenges, just like everybody else.  I still have days when I can't settle my mind and meditating seems impossible, but I have learned how to cope with this.  I simply acknowledge my thoughts and then allow myself to let them go for at least 5 minutes each day. I force myself to breathe deeply and listen only to my breath. I recommend this for everyone, regardless of whether or not you think you're stressed. Not only will you begin to feel better, but you will find yourself enjoying life a lot more.  So be calm, be happy and be present!

Our new showroom, where buyers and customers can shop

                         

MOVING ON

My oldest daughter's departure to college last fall woke me up.  How did my little baby become old enough to move out and how did I get old enough to have a daughter old enough to leave home?

Don't worry, I won't bore you with all the details of my life, but these last six months have had me taking inventory. In my twenties I swore I would be vigilant and live each day with meaning.  My thirties were filled with new babies and launching my business.  These past few months I've been mourning the passage of time, but today, I feel motivated to be vigilant once again and to make the best of each day.  So, change is upon us! 

When Russell and I started Majamas, we quit our steady jobs, mortgaged the house and put all we had into it.  We eventually opened a store attached to our office in the Oak Park Arts District and it has been operating since 2004.  We are located next to the Buzz Café and rent the building owned by Laura and Andrew.  They have been terrific landlords and their business has definitely contributed to the success of ours.  We have had some wonderful neighbors in the OPAD like Pamela Penney, Val's Halla, Lisa Nordstrom, Liz Gaylord, Nancy and Bill Creighton and so many more.  

I always knew this day would come.  Nothing stays the same and just as my daughter has grown up and moved away, so must Majamas Boutique.  It's time for us to take another leap and implement the next phase of our business and in doing this, we have to move into a larger space.  Big buildings are hard to find in Oak Park and even though the Oak Park Development has been terrific in trying to help us find a bigger space, we just can't seem to find the right one.  So, we are heading to the city where our new space will allow us to have fashion shows, parties for our clients and even monthly sales we hope you'll attend.  We will still have our online retail sites (see addresses below) and a full showroom in our new space.  We intend to continue stocking other lines we love like Kickee Pants, Jelly Cat toys, Zutano and our new baby line Shirley & Victor so you can still give the most unique gift to any new momma and baby.  In addition, we will be expanding our Eliseo line designed for all women seeking beautiful clothes and of course, our awesome bras are available on our site and in the River Forest Whole Foods store.  We will be closer to our contractors who sew our lines and will remain committed to keeping everything made right here in the USA.

We will miss working in Oak Park, but Russell and I will continue to reside here.  Thank you to all our wonderful and loyal customers these past 11 years.  It has been a pleasure working with each and every one of you!  We have learned a lot from our clients and without your input and loyalty we would never have made it to this next step.  Stay connected with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram your looks to us.  Please don't lose touch Oak Parkers!

Find us at the following web sites:
www.majamas.com
www.majamasboutique.com
www.shirleyandvictor.com
www.eliseofashion.com

Or email us at:
germaine@majamas.com
russell@majamas.com

Who are Shirley & Victor?

After having four children with names like James, Jean, Christopher and Carol, my mom decided to try something different.  So she named me after her mother, Germaine.  Growing up with this name back in the 70's set me apart from other kids.  Sometimes in a good way, and sometimes not.  I had very short hair until I was 20 something and most people probably thought I was a boy but once they realized I was a girl, I think most people liked my unique name.

Today, there are multitudes of studies on how a name shapes a person or a product.  Naming babies was one of my toughest challenges but naming a clothing line was harder.  The name had to show what I wanted to portray.  Take our brand name Majamas.  Many people may not know this but when I invented the first nursing tank top, I intended it to be worn to bed.  My mother said, "You should call it MA-jamas because MOMS will wear it to bed".  The name stuck and now, Majamas is known for making the most comfortable bras in the world for ALL women in addition to a full line of clothing.

Siblings, Shirley and Victor, with Cousin Eddie 

One good turn deserves another so when I had to name our new baby line, I decided it had to have my mom's name in it.  Not only was my mom one of my best friends, but she was also smart, funny, and a woman with a passion for fashion.  With all the baby lines out there, we wanted ours to stand out as unique.  Making it in the U.S. was one way but we wanted the look of it to feel retro. Think bowling shirts for boys and sepia toned prints for girls.  My mother's name, Shirley would be perfect but we had to be sure the world knew it was a baby line for girls and boys.  So we decided to add a common name for boys born in the late 1800's thru the 1940's and that was Victor.  Victor was not only Shirley's brother, but her father was named Victor and my husband's grandfather too.  

Welcome Shirley & Victor to the Raggle, Inc family.  Now Raggle, Inc is the proud owner of Majamas, Nixilu, Eliseo Fashion and Shirley & Victor.   My mom died before she could see Majamas hanging in Nordstrom Department Stores or in Whole Foods Markets but I believe she continues to help me on a daily basis. Last month, the baby line named after her was very well received at markets and picked up by many retailers.  You will soon find Shirley & Victor in stores and on web sites across the country in February, 2015.  Check out our Facebook page, Shirley & Victor and be sure to contact us if you want more information.

Clockwise from Top Left: The Henry Hoodie, The Elsa Top, The Daddio Onesie, and The Peggie Onesie

  



    

Saturday Closings at Majamas Boutique

Dear Majamas Boutique Customers,

We decided to open Majamas Boutique 9 years ago in the Arts District of Oak Park because so many women knocked on our office door looking to purchase Majamas garments directly from us.  Over the years, Majamas Boutique has turned into a store that offers Maternity/Nursing clothing, unique baby clothing, baby toys and more.  Recently we launched our Eliseo Fashion collection that takes all women from sleep to the streets in fashion and comfort. 

Majamas Boutique was intended to be open only during our regular "business" hours and not the typical "retail" hours most other stores are open.  We opened on weekends to try to accommodate the "walk by" traffic but we've found it makes the most sense for us to stick to our original hours.  So, beginning July 5th, Majamas Boutique will no longer be open on Saturdays.  We will remain open during the week, Monday thru Friday, 10am-6pm and we are always open at www.majamasboutique.com

We hope you'll stop in to visit us during our new business hours and look for the launch of our new baby line Shirley & Victor  that will be available in our store and on our site this fall.

Sincerely,

Germaine Caprio and Russell Curry

Raggle, Inc

Proud Owners of Majamas, Nixilu, Eliseo Fashion and Shirley & Victor

The Power of Silence

Last fall was one of the most traumatic times in my family's life.  My daughters, a senior and sophomore in high school were a part of their school's swim team.  Like most swimmers, they woke early for morning workouts, went to school all day and practiced again at night.  Some nights they had swim meets, others they had weight training but regardless of what they did, they were with their "fellow" teammates most of the day. 

When a group of senior girls started picking on my sophomore daughter, my senior daughter took a stand and told these girls to back off.  She asked them to stop tormenting ALL of the underclassmen, including her sister, yet as soon as my senior took a stand, the team became divided.  Both of my girls swam varsity and unfortunately, most of the varsity swimmers decided to isolate and ignore both of my girls, even those my oldest daughter was helping to defend.  Rather than saying anything, they simply stopped including my girls in anything.  Some people would say this is acceptable and not bullying, but think of what happens when a group isolates or ignores an individual.  As teenagers, they stopped getting text messages, stopped getting asked to parties, conversation stopped when they walked into the locker room and worst of all, they stopped getting any support from their team.  The result was devastating.  My youngest daughter with so much potential to place at State, started swimming slower and slower.  Her skin broke out all over her body and she started walking with her shoulders hunched over.  My oldest daughter became self conscious and moody.  She stayed near her younger sister at meets and talked little to anyone else, fearful anything she said would be held against her.  What's worse is the isolation went far beyond the pool and my sophomore found herself eating lunch alone, isolated from others at her table.

Many parents of the girls who isolated my daughters have treated my husband and me in the very same manner.  They have ostracized us and looked at us as if we were the cause of the fallout within the team.  One mother I thought I knew and trusted even said to me, "Your daughter has thrown a wrench in the team causing so many problems."  Her words left me stunned and I felt so betrayed.  It was then I realized just what my girls were going through.  These girls they have known since 4th and 5th grades suddenly

Germaine's daughters, Genevieve & Adelaide

turned on them. A friend sent me this excerpt below describing Dante's Inferno:

"If you've read Dante's "Inferno," you know that his vision of hell involves an inverted cone, with circles narrowing as they approach the bottom of the pit.
I remember being surprised that sins like torture or rape or murder weren't relegated to the very bottom of the pit as the worst sins imaginable. Dante placed the sin of betrayal at the very bottom.
Yes, betrayal is deplorable, but worse than violence like rape? More evil than taking a life?
Every betrayal is a kind of theft, if you think about it. Stolen are the trust and loyalty that should form the bedrock of friendships, marriages, business associations, and even treaties."


It was this betrayal that devastated our family.  My husband had attended the same high school 37 years earlier and many of his friends had daughters on this swim team who actively ignored my girls.  After weeks of being isolated, my senior spoke with the head coach asking for help.  The coach witnessed so many episodes of these girls being unkind to my daughters, yet did nothing to stop it.  My husband and I finally approached the coach asking her to stop the isolation but again, she did nothing so we took it to the administrators of the school.  The principal of the school basically said, "I can't make other girls like your daughters." When we asked if there was an anti-bullying policy in place, the school administration scrambled.  They had no policy to show us and therefore, no consequences to enforce upon these girls or the coach watching it happen.


Today, my daughters are freed from the school.  My senior has happily graduated and is looking forward to making true friends in college.  My sophomore transferred schools and was welcomed into the public school by all her former classmates from middle school.  My husband and I have our true friends standing by us, but some we've known for over 30 years will never be a part of our lives again.  None of them has ever spoken a foul word or written a bad thing about us.  We just get silent glares from the parents when walking into water polo games and swim meets now.  What's so sad is these parents have taught their children that isolation is acceptable and they have created another generation that will continue this tradition of Betrayal.  Now I know why Dante put Betrayal as the worst sin in his nine rings of hell.  It's because there is no way to fight it.  No defense and no fixing it.  Once trust is lost, it's impossible to regain and that's a tough lesson to learn at any age.


Don't ignore it when your child says no one talks with her or you notice she has no friends calling or texting.  Silence and isolation are common forms of bullying and don't be mistaken, this behavior is taught by the parents. Isolation is a form of bullying.  It's wicked and ugly and unkind.  Stop it before it gets out of hand and teach your children to be kind and inclusive.  As Henry James wrote, "There are three important things to do in life.  The first is to be kind.  The second is to be kind and the third is to be kind."

Weathering Change

Germaine's oldest daughter Adelaide in the January snow

This past winter, Chicago was in a deep freeze and overwhelmed with snow. Our Raggle, Inc offices declared two official snow days due to the weather giving me some time to reflect on the past and anticipate the future of the company my husband and I started 15 years ago.

Most people know I started because I was tired of wearing bras to bed after having my first baby.  Little did I know I not only created the first nursing tank top but I created one of the most comfortable bras for all women to wear.    Russ and I went from having a baby to having a business.  We found a niche, filled it and kept our eyes open for ways to keep growing and changing.
Majamas

Eliseo's Vecchio Gown

Our business is based on wholesaling into retail stores like Whole Foods and small boutiques. After the 2008 recession hit, we lost roughly 25% of our small boutiques.  Like any business that loses customers, I tried not to panic and did my best to edit the evening news so I could sleep at night.  Russell and I realized that we had to expand our collection in order to retain and expand our customer base.  So, we created a new collection that didn't cater just to maternity stores and named it Eliseo, after my Italian grandfather from Cuposele', Italy who was also a clothing designer.

Eliseo is made from the same soft, beautiful fabrics used to make Majamas and we do our very best to keep it whimsical, versatile and cute.  Just like the Majamas line, we make everything in the Eliseo collection, from the fabric to the final garment, right here in the United States.  We've never done our manufacturing any other way and as long as Russell and I run the company, we don't plan to ever sew overseas.  Majamas is now a nationally known brand name and we hope that Eliseo will be just as popular in the years to come.

Staying in business is similar to surviving a harsh winter.  There are days when we feel overwhelmed with snow and the day never feels sunny.  The good thing is that just like the weather, the sun does come out and we regain our positive outlook and feel as if nothing can stop us, not even a -13 degree day.  As I watched my daughters playing in the snow, I realized that even the worst weather can be fun and someday, I'll be reflecting again on how fun it was to run a great company like Raggle, Inc. 

To shop Eliseo, visit www.eliseofashion.com

Eliseo's Coperta Poncho