New venture proves ‘cute’
Home-based business offers stylish clothes for mums-to-be
MOTHER-TO-BE Bernadette Ross knows looking stylish with a big belly can be tough.
The frustration of being heavily pregnant with nothing to wear was the incentive behind Toowoomba’s newest maternity clothing store.
Mrs Ross noticed the gap in the market when she moved to Toowoomba from Australian shopping capital Melbourne and couldn’t find any “cute” maternity clothes.
“I moved here with my husband about two months ago and started needing maternity wear. I couldn’t find many options in town. Basically the only places were generally speaking, uninspiring and I had been hoping to wear cute stuff when I was pregnant,” she said.
“Everything I found was black or frumpy and I just thought it would be nice to have cute dresses and colourful clothing.
“You’re carrying this baby bump and you want clothes that accentuate it. You want to show it off and be proud of it.”
She proved the solution to her own problem with the creation of B.A. Ross Maternity Wear.
The home-based business stocks
Bernadette Ross: Everything I found was black or frumpy and I just thought it would be nice to have cute dresses and colourful clothing.
the Australian maternity brand Eve of Eden with the range set to expand from cheaper casual wear to higher-end fashion.
Mrs Ross said customers could get a nice dress from $50 to $100.
“Eve of Eden is my main brand at the moment and I’m able to offer it cheaper than what they do online,” she said.
“I thought the simplest thing was to start small and do it from my own home. After the baby is born I’ll be able to continue too.
“I wanted people to feel comfortable to come into my home – kind of a mum thing.”
Mrs Ross hopes to become a high school teacher and the flexibility offered by the business will allow her to continue study.
She is available Monday to Saturday by appointment. Search for B.A. Ross Maternity Wear on Facebook or phone 0437 184 858 to make an appointment.
“I’ve had a few inquiries and am hoping to be able to start marketing more through different avenues,” she said.
At seven months pregnant she will be forced to take a short break soon but then it will be back to business.