WEST PITTSTON — Julia McDonough failed sewing class when she was in seventh grade.
Now the 60-year-old Duryea resident is making a living selling children’s items she sews in her shop, Hippo Alley/The Babiez Place, at 945 Wyoming Ave., across from CVS Pharmacy.
McDonough moved her shop from Pittston last year and expanded her offerings to include a line of items specifically for infants called The Babiez Place.
Her first foray into selling her sewing is still going strong. Hippo Alley is a line of stuffed hippo toys for young and old alike. She calls Hippo Alley a “utopia for misfits” where “everyone is welcome.”
The hippos are sewn with fleece in a variety of patterns, each containing its own name, birth certificate and back story.
A grandmother of five, McDonough initially began crafting the hippos as gifts for her grandchildren. She got the inspiration from her mother, who was an accomplished seamstress before she died.
“It was like one day she knocked me in the head (after she passed away),” said McDonough. “I’m more adept with power tools than a sewing machine.”
In addition to the hippos, she sews diaper cases, car seat covers, bibs, headbands, receiving blankets and other items. She constructs diaper cakes, which can be custom ordered for baby showers.
She also sells the items via her store on Etsy, an online marketplace for crafters, and her own website, www.thebabiezplace.com.
McDonough sells homemade lotions and soaps under the name JBB Naturals, which began as a way for her to deal with her own allergies. She offered more of a selection of those products at her previous location, but ack of space and demand has cut her all-natural skin care line to a minimum.
She shares the space on Wyoming Avenue with Pickerz Paradise, which sells a variety of collectible items.
