Everything sold through Stripes & Polka Dots is handmade by Lori Eggleston

Being a stay-at-home mom and a successful businesswoman aren’t mutually exclusive, as former Chester resident Lori Eggleston has learned first-hand. She retired from the hectic business world after the birth of her first daughter, Mallory, in December 2005, but found herself restless. “I needed things to do,” she says.

A baby blanket for a friend turned out to be the answer. Encouraged by both her friend and her mother, Eggleston opened Stripes & Polka Dots in January 2007, and the thriving business will be making its ChesterFest debut this year.

“Stripes & Polka Dots offers unique gifts, necessities, and ‘just gotta haves’ for children of all ages,” Eggleston’s website reads. Though she started with simply washcloths, bibs, and baby blankets, her products have since grown to include stationery, drinkware, hats, and even check covers, among other diverse offerings.

“Everything that is on my website is handmade,” Eggleston adds. “I focus on personalized items.”

The arts and crafts tradition has always run in the family. “When I was younger, my grandmother and I would spend a week together in the summer, and she’d take me to the craft store so we could do crafts together,” says Eggleston, who’s never taken a sewing class. “She was an expert seamstress – she sewed hand-stitched quilts for her three kids and seven grandkids! I like to say that maybe I got some of my talent from her.” In college, after her mother gave her a sewing machine for a Christmas present, Eggleston handled a number of sewing projects for her classmates. “That was spending money for me!” she says. “I’ve been spurred on by everyone close to me.”

Since the establishment of Stripes & Polka Dots, Eggleston has become a regular at local festivals. “In the past two years, I’ve been at LakeFest in Clarksville, which was my biggest show both years. I did the Midlothian Village Show, which I’ll be doing again this year, and shows at Monacan High and Echo Lake Elementary,” she says. However, she’s especially looking forward to her first ChesterFest: “I’m hoping that it’ll be a great show. I used to go to Chester Methodist and graduated from L.C. Bird, so I’m really excited to see people I haven’t seen since high school!”

Eggleston admits, however, that she couldn’t do it without the help of many others. “My friend Kim Ober goes to almost every show with me and helps me set up and take down and sell during the events,” she says. “And if it weren’t for my husband’s support, I wouldn’t be able to have the business at all!”

Now a mother of two – her second daughter, Ann Campbell, was born five months ago – Eggleston is finding happiness in both her parenting and her business. “This allows me to be home and allows me to feel like a successful businesswoman at the same time,” she says. “I was in business for ten years; now I have something to call all my own. And there’s really nothing more rewarding in the business than having someone ooh and ah over something you’ve made with your own hands. It’s a great feeling.”

Stripes & Polka Dots can be found online at stripesandpolkadots.com.
The seventh annual ChesterFest celebrations are scheduled to take place from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on September 13 on the Village Green.

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