“Hotties” Created by Mother-Daughter Team

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Thursday, December 23, 2010

GoLocalProv Features Team

Eugenie Najjar is a landscape designer with a thriving Providence-based business. In addition, she's also the co-creator of Hotties, a whimsical set of eco-friendly bed warmers that replace both the 20th century hot water bottle and the electric blanket.

Who was Najjar's co-founder? Her teenage daughter, Louisa. GoLocalProv caught up with Najjar to find out about the winter's hottest new product.

How'd Hotties get started?

The company is called LOVE AT FIRST NIGHT (Louisa came up with the name), and it started up in 2008. An English relative was sending us hotties (a traditional bedwarming item in Great Britain) with ugly covers. Lou said, "Let's make our own," so we got out the sewing machine and made our own.

Friends loved them and became our testing market. We tried many different fabrics and designs for closing (the bag that holds a repeatable element) and by fall of 2009 we were ready. Louisa and I and (Najjar's partner) Frances have all worked together to find fabrics that we think will cover a wide range of people and tastes.

How has it been working together as a mother-daughter team?

It's a little tricky guiding a 13-year-old in an entrepreneurial venture but it has been, for the most part, really fun. It was important to me to show her that we have faith in her ideas and that it's important to be brave and put one's self out in the world. It has been about having an idea or a passion and carrying it to fruition and to help her see the value in process... even if the thing ends up on the shelf.

Where can RIers get these cute things?

Frog and Toad carries them in Providence, as does Beauty and The Bath in Wickford. We sell them directly at [email protected] (our Web site is coming soon). We have people coming over all the time!

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