Baby Ray, the business

I've been thinking about my baby clothes line a lot recently. Baby Ray - where will this next year take us? With the recent legislation that has the potential for running all boutique business into the ground as of January 1, 2010, what should our next step be? (If you want to know more about this issue, check out the Handmade Toy Alliance)

Sander and I really want to abide by the laws, but its such a silly law! It will require us to test every garment/item made at a cost of $3,000 each, no matter if all we use are certified lead-free components! It seems like a ploy to use a good reason (I'm all for keeping kids safe from harmful chemicals - that's why I use organic fabric!) to get rid of competition. Sites like etsy.com and a growing number of small business owners are really taking a bite out of the children's' clothing and toy market and bigger companies don't seem pleased. Its like the hemp business...outlawed as it is from the same plant family as marijuana but really only because it was/is the only competitor for cotton. Ok - I'll calm down. You know how that hemp issue works me up!

I love making and designing retro baby clothes and would love to do it for a business, but perhaps it will just be a hobby as I dress this little boy we're about to have. I'd love to sit down at my juki, update my etsy site, and get going...but what will really happen January 1, 2010? As if starting a new business wasn't hard enough...