From Our House to Yours
Thirty-three years ago I made a balaclava for my baby daughter, using Polarfleece® fabric for the first time. I was impressed that, despite its light weight and softness against my baby's skin, it was more durable, easier to care for and significantly more insulating than many heavier winter fabrics. It seemed the perfect hat for children who wanted to be both warm and comfortable while out in the fresh Maine winter air.
I began making and selling balaclavas and soon found that adults were very interested in them, too. I asked a friend to help me sew, and we made hundreds of balaclavas in six different sizes and sold them at craft fairs. Before long, my home was overflowing with Polarfleece® and new ideas for products were rampant.
In 1994, I opened a small shop in downtown Farmington. New products were designed and created. More stitchers were hired and the business grew. By 1998 Minikins had 18 stitchers working in their homes as contract laborers, producing a variety of winter accessories for all ages. These were sold and promoted all over Maine and New England at craft fairs and by word of mouth. Eventually, with the help of the internet and a growing reputation, our customer base expanded across the nation and even reached overseas.Our store closed down at the end of 2006 and I now work out of my home and over the internet, rolling back to a more leisurely way of life.
All of our garments and winter accessories are made of first quality Polarfleece® fabric by stitchers that live in Maine. Though Malden Mills has closed and the availability of colors and prints are more limited than before, we are committed to bringing you only the best. We continue to maintain status as a cottage industry, utilizing the work force of our local communities, and preserving a "down home" attitude toward our customers and our valued stitchers.
About the Owner- Susun Terese
If I could have any job I wanted, it would be one in which I could be my own boss, set my own hours, and do what I love. Minikins provides all this and more.
It is important to me that there are opportunities to earn money for those of us who say “no” to the nine-to-five jobs which take us away from our homes and families. It’s very satisfying to know that I can provide jobs for women who want to work at home. (Men are welcome, too, of course!)
The benefits of running my own business have allowed me to home-school my youngest daughter and to bring my children with me all over New England to attend craft fairs and shows. I now have three granddaughters and they, of course, are a part of the Minikins family. My greatest "achievement" as owner of this small company is in the realization that business is simply a cover for the much more important privilege of connecting to people in a meaningful way.
