By Angie Gilchrist
Jessie Eddy, 22, is the mother to two little girls, 20 months and seven months and the owner of two Valley businesses, Polka Dots and The Yellow Cricket. With what little time she has left, she is pursuing her business degree online.
The Eddy Family
How can one mother do all that? “With a lot of help,” said Jessie. “My mother watches my girls everyday. If I had to put them in day care I might not have been able to make it this far [with her businesses]. And my husband is a big help with the stores. I honestly don’t think other mothers need to think they can do it while their husband sits at home or what not. I depend on his support and physical help daily. As a business owner, it isn’t like a regular job. I always bring work home with me mentally; I never leave it at work. When you are just an employee this is quite an easy task, not as an owner though. Also, other family members occasionally help to give my mother a day off.”
Jessie got involved in her businesses straight out of high school. She had a passion for design and realized an interior decorating degree wouldn’t really fulfill her desire for design, so she opened up a high-end ladies gift shop in Hartselle, Polka Dots. “Polka Dots was my college,” said Jessie. After high school, Jessie’s dream of owning a business came true with “lots” of help from her parents. Polka Dots is in its fourth year of business and continues to thrive offering unique gifts from shoes to purses to candles and much more.
After a couple of years of owning Polka Dots Jessie was blessed with a daughter and another daughter shortly after. She found herself driving all over North Alabama and even to Birmingham looking for cute and unique things for her little girls. Then the idea for the Yellow Cricket came to her mind. “I thought this [Hartselle] would be a central location,” said Jessie. Her upscale baby and children’s shop offers Young America furniture by Stanley, Melissa and Doug toys, play kitchens, infants and toddler shoes, Combi strollers, high chairs and car seats and much more.
One of the biggest business challenges Jessie has faced was relocating Polka Dots from a one-story building to a two-story building. “When we moved, a lot of customers wouldn’t go upstairs due to a variety of reasons, such as lack of time and inability to climb stairs well,” said Jessie. “It’s a constant challenge to make sure we have the right variety of merchandise downstairs on display to accommodate the needs of our customers.”
Challenges aren’t just on the work front. As a working mother she finds her biggest challenge is making up the time she has missed with her girls. “I feel like sometimes I’m missing it all, because when they are babies they grow so fast,” said Jessie. But she has a real perk to being the business owner, “I have the luxury that I can leave anytime I want or need to,” added Jessie. “There are days I just want to spend with the girls, and I put the stores aside for the moment and just spend that time with them, with the exception of the busy holiday season. The stores become my home away from home this time of year.”
The Yellow Cricket
After a hard day’s work at both Hartselle shops she comes home for the “second shift.” “As a mom you are never done. And after being a mom you are a wife, too,” said Jessie. She works hard to carve time for her little girls and husband after a busy day at the stores. “I’m always exhausted, but those little girls are worth it,” said Jessie. “The importance of family time is a huge deal to me. No matter what age your children are they need your undivided attention every day. No matter how tired you are or what your mood is, they always come first, always bring a smile to your face and make your biggest problems seem like nothing.”
Jessie admitted life is hectic being married, a mother of two and an owner of two businesses but added, “It’s not impossible. When you set your goals you just have to go for it.” As for her goals in life, she wants to be the best mother to her girls because her own mother gave her a fine example. “I’m always trying to outdo my own mother, who is “super mom,” said Jessie. As for the business side of life, she is working on getting her new business’s name out there and making it a success.