Chicken Boots

Ok, I have to ask: from where did your company name come?

My daughter—who was four at the time—named the boots in which we do our chicken chores our “Chicken Boots.” Others suggested I name my new business this and I was very reluctant, but it’s actually been a great name. Easy to understand, everyone knows how to spell it, and we can have fun with it.

It sounds like your love of sewing came from your mother & grandmother, but how did the business begin?

My love of sewing actually came as a surprise. I started to sew reluctantly in high school and learned I have a great spatial sense and knack for engineering. My mom was also a great influence. I went to school for design and pattern drafting (it’s not that long ago and they still didn’t tell girls they could be an engineer; otherwise who knows where I’d be today). I’ve loved putting things together one way or another ever since.

Chicken Boots started after I had worked in the technical outerwear and garment industry for 15 years as a designer and pattern drafter for various companies. I had been knitting for a few years and worked on accessories that would store my supplies nicely. My skills with outerwear design, knowledge of notions and experience making patterns came together to make simple but highly functional accessories you don’t see anywhere else—especially made in the USA.

Have there been any particular hurdles that you’ve had to overcome? If so, how did you?

Manufacturing. Manufacturing in the United States is at a low and buying things made in the USA is difficult. Because of this, most factories are booked up. So, we made our own little factory. It’s certainly not easy, but we have complete control and it’s the least expensive way to get our things made in the US without leaving California. Recently we even brought a couple of our machines to a show and sewed for customers live on the show floor to highlight where their items are made.

How has ShipStation helped you with your business?

ShipStation makes things much faster for me to ship orders. Something that used to be exciting has become quite a large task and the ease of ShipStation has brought back a bit of that excitement and taken away the dread of spending a long time with a task we barely get paid to do. I am still discovering tools that make things easier and faster! Every time a friend signs up they let me know soon how thankful they are I nudged them in to signing up. They honestly don’t know how they shipped before having it and I feel the same way.

What’s your favorite ShipStation feature?

I love the Pick List feature (as a manufacturer it can act as a Cut/Sew Ticket when we are sewing to order) and the Shipping Presets; these have taken the dread out of shipping for us!