We really want to keep making baby & children's hats

The Little Hat Company is a small manufacturer, retail store in South Berwick, Maine. We started when I couldn't find a hat for my baby that was pratical and unique. In just two years we have grown to employ 10 part time employes and have shipped our baby and children's hats to five continents as well as building a full fledge toy store. We are just entering our third year and the prospect of having to sell adult lids only in the store is anti climatic to say the least. We don't have the cash flow for testing which will never be recouped by the sale of children's lids with our current quantities.

This law is not about the The Little Hat Company it is about the ripple affect it will have on the micro businesses and hancrafters across our nation. It won't stop there - it will affect packaging, delivery and postage, supplies from larger chains and farms who spin their own wool, it will affect the hosting companies, website design, groups fundraising, young entreprenuers, seniors, it will affect our entire economy.

Also what do they mean by permanent disposal of finished goods that are not tested? What if the law is repealed? What about our already over flowing landfills? Are we supposed to follow the law or are we supposed to be following the law when it makes sense? My children, 14, 7, 3 are listening to the numerous phone calls coming into our business and now house. They are in disbelief and looking to me to see what I do. What do I say to them? They've watched our business grow in a small town where it has made a positive impact and now the older two are in disbelief that our country, the land of free entreprise, is telling their mom that unless she can cough up the cash she won't be able to continue making baby and children hats at The Little Hat Company. We've fought so hard to develop a business model that makes it pheasible for us to manufacturer all of hats in South Berwick, Maine and not outsource overseas - this summer we had finally hit on a system that allowed us a 55% profit margin while paying our local stitchers $18-$24 an hour.

I applaud our government for wanting to keep our children safe but I ask them is this what they meant by helping to bring manufacturing home to The United States?

One more thing- all baby and children's hats are now 50% off at our store in South Berwick and soon on our website. It's better that we at least are able to recoup cost of goods than to loose 1000's of dollars and man hours invested in the future of The Little Hat Company.

Hope for Change & Hope for Balance

Best Wishes,

Jennifer Houghton
Founder & President
The Little Hat Company
Put A Lid on Your Kid - up until February 9th, 2009
then - Adult Noggins need Protection Too!