About PlatyPaws

Bettina with Sienna, Dylan; Owen and Amy with Isabella

 

BABY STEPS FROM MOTHER'S LOVE TO A THRIVING BUSINESS

Pink&BlueBebe and PlatyPaws Shoes were established in 2002 by two single mothers, Amy Browne and Bettina Rasmussen. Each of them was raising sons under one year of age at the time.

Bettina and Amy met at a prenatal water aerobics class in 2001. While having fun splashing water and getting stronger for the big day, they would talk about their dreams and plans for the future as moms. As their friendship grew, they discovered their views centered on similar values revolving around love for natural living, family and children. They discovered that they both desired clothes and home products that were stylish and made with care from natural Earth-friendly renewable materials.  

In the fall of 2001 Bettina's son Dylan was 6 months old. He could not walk yet, but his feet were beginning to get ready to take on the world. His tiny toes were learning how to survey a surface in advance of helping the foot take confident natural strides. As young toes do, his wiggled, curled and stretched getting strong for the day when Dylan would be skidding the length of the hallway, climbing trees, and running like the wind. Intuitively, it struck Bettina that unless the surface presented a danger or it was wet or cold, that Dylan's feet would best develop if left bare. For developing feet the next best thing would be baby-shoes made from the softest non-hazardous natural materials with lots of toe room. Armed with “Dylan's-Mother-Knows-Best” certainty she scoured Los Angeles' shops looking for his first pair of shoes. The only catch was that they had to meet Bettina's discriminating eye for fashion and comfort. She found none that met her standards. Although frustrated, Bettina would not accept putting on Dylan stiff, constricting heavy soled shoes when he was not even sitting up yet. At last the solution arrived, but not with heavenly trumpets, instead it arrived with a door knock. The postman delivered a package sent by her brother René from her homeland, Denmark. In the package were the most precious soft-soled shoes made from the softest glove leather. In the following months when she took her son to the playground, mothers would invariably drool and ask, “Where did you find those shoes?” Bettina did not know it just yet, but she had stumbled upon something significant.

At around the same time, Amy was gearing up to begin work again. The question was what kind of work to do. Prior to the birth of her son Owen, she had been traveling extensively to the Middle East on business. Amy was importing and exporting various products. Being out of the country for 5 months out of the year, had to take second place to her wish to nurture her newborn. Every embrace of her child served to confirm what was obvious. Amy would find a way to provide for her son by applying her knowledge and international expertise in exporting and importing on work closer to home. Bettina came to her one day with the idea that there was a definite need around Los Angeles for soft-soled baby shoes. There were various manufacturers around the world that made them, but she didn't have knowledge of importing products. It was a match made in heaven; Amy with the international business knowledge, and Bettina with the creative side and the initialidea. They immediately began researching the best possible place to manufacture the shoes. They found that Australia has an unsurpassed quality of glove leather that was processed without using any harmful chemicals, especially formaldehyde, which so many shoe leather's had in them. The inventive adorable designs that are now PlatyPaws Shoes, were just the shoes they had both envisioned. The new business was born, and soon took shape. Amy and Bettina decided to start with soft-soled shoes and Danish down comforters.

The idea for the comforters was born from a trip Bettina took to Denmark for Christmas when Dylan was just 7 months old. Neglecting herself, she filled her suitcases to over-capacity with gifts for her family. On arrival she realized she had not brought enough winter clothing for Dylan and herself. Since it was a cold winter in Denmark, she borrowed from her family warm clothes and bedding for the length of her holiday. Among the things she borrowed was the coziest, fluffiest, lightest baby-sized Danish down comforter. It did not take Dylan long to get attached to it. He hugged it, turned to his side and fell asleep in a second. From before the Viking period, it is the norm in Denmark for infants and children to have their own warm comforters made of Danish down. Danish down is among the lightest and warmest in the world. 

The company they envisioned would have a simple yet powerful mission. They would bring children and their parents joy by offering stylish and unique Earth-friendly products made with care from the safest and finest renewable natur al materi al s found anywhere in the world.

From the comfort of their kitchen business nerve-center, which unlike any rented business office offered them line of sight on their boys, they began selecting their signature PinkandBlueBebe and PlatyPaws products and brain storming how to capitalize the company. Great care was put on the source and quality of the products. One of the first products they honed in on was baby and child sized Danish goose down comforters and pillows. The source they selected employs a costly patented process whereby the feathers are thoroughly cleaned and naturally dried by constantly blowing them up in controlled-environment rooms. In this process the smallest and lightest down, the density of a summer cloud, float to the top of the room. Bettina and Amy's comforters and pillows employ the finest Danish goose down which result in a superior children's comforter.

Now, 3 ½ years later, the company is going strong and growing by the day. Amy and Bettina have maintained their focus of providing the highest quality natural products that are stylish and unique. Their product line has grown significantly. Each and every product line is first tested on their kids to assure that it passes the high standards they have for it to be part of the Pink&BlueBebe family. The joy is that now each of them has a baby daughter as well, Sienna and Isabella, to try the little girl products on. Pink&BlueBebe and PlatyPaws Shoes will continue to search the globe for unique products that make shopping for kids a little bit more fun.

 

Starting September 1st 2007, Renate Craft the mother of a Girl and Boy the same age as ours will be taking over the business which will let us pursue new venues in our journeys in life. Thank you for your support over the years. Renate will be taking good care of our businesses.