Our Story

Sweet Spot® Skirts Story

Early September of 2009, I was riding my bike to photograph one of my higher-end real-estate listings. This home was a beauty and to properly capture its elegance, I knew it would require numerous shots from many angles. The last thing I needed was for my clients to come home as I was trying to capture the perfect photo, padded bike short butt high in the air. I threw on a little disco skirt from my closet, which provided some coverage. After the last picture was taken, I met my friend David and continued on a 25-mile ride which progressed to meeting our friends for dinner near the Columbia River Front. With sweat trickling down my face, infamous helmet head, jersey billowing with colors distinctly different from the wild pattern of the disco skirt, I “clomped, clomped clomped” into the restaurant.  Just then one of the husbands, James (age 29), said to his wife, “Katie, you should get a sexy little skirt like that.”

My head spun to see if he was making fun or saying the truth? I could see by his look, he was serious. “Not bad that an age 29 would think I looked sexy,” I thought to myself, age 44.  Didn’t he see the fat bulging out from beneath my grabby bike shorts? Interesting. . . seems like all he saw was “skirt.”

Two days later, we rode to a little local airport to see some friends off as they were flying their plane back to California. I wore the same disco skirt, again to provide just a bit of coverage. As the pilot (age 50ish) stepped off the plane, he smiled and with an approving nod said, “Nice skirt!” Let me remind you: same helmet hair, jersey billowing, fat bulging out from the elastic leg band cruncher and non-matching disco skirt. Hmmm…both ages 29 and 50ish, noticed my sexy skirt.

I looked at my reflection in the glass door of the small airport. . . it was pretty cute even though I wasn’t “matchy matchy” or glamorous, by any means. My friends and I said our goodbyes and by the time we reached our next stop, I blurted out “Sweet Spot® Skirts.” I was going to create a better skirt than the one I was wearing, and that is what I would call them. My friend David laughed at the name and said it was cute but I don’t think he believed me to be serious. I am not even sure I thought I was serious.

Evidently I was serious! The rest of the story has become my life’s most favorite era. I drew my design out on tracing paper on the island in my kitchen. I had a friend from high school draw up a “don’t steal my idea” release form, bought fabric, hired a seamstress and enrolled in the full time school of “Trial and Error” before I graduated with this perfect little Sweet Spot® Skirt.

February 27, 2010, we (friends, seamstresses, family et al, thanks for the support!) did our first show at the Seattle Bike Swap! WE SOLD OUT! I applied the next day for my LLC and tax documents, got a website, hired a bookkeeper and went to town designing and testing my products. Today I invite you to join the excitement, the fun, and the challenge of being just a little bit better every day.

My business goals are very simple:

1. Have Fun
2. When goal #1 is done . . . Have just a little bit more fun!
3. Stay out of debt.

Sweet Spot® Skirts made the commitment to have all our skirts made in the USA. We support the great red, white and blue.  In an attempt to help reduce the unemployment numbers in 2010, we hired stay at home moms to sew our product.  Over the last few years I have found that these women, who were discovered from a sea of Craiglist responders, are amazingly talented.  These “mom’s” quickly became the backbone of our company.  They multitask, handle crises and organize with the greatest of ease.  The best attribute of all is that they protect Sweet Spot® Skirts as if it were one of their own children.  Our “Ferocious Four” team is creative, fresh, flexible and fun!  Two of our home seamers have stepped up into management roles for the company.

Our company has seen growth of 80% -500% and was awarded 2nd best Startup in the Pacific Northwest by CREDC.  The company who won 1st place has a cure for Malaria, Godspeed to them getting that out to the world.  We were awarded the "Best Small Business 2016" and ranked in the top 3 companies for "Healthiest Business."  #shoplocal #localthanks #madeintheUSA

I love all those women who wear our skirts.  You make me smile!  Shop local and support small business.  Trust me...every skirt matters!

“Changing the world ONE skirt at a time”

Stephanie Lynn, Owner/Designer