Designs that deliver

It doesn’t take a fancy office and an overload of resources to start your own business from your home. Just ask Vestavia resident Kendra Lyas, founder of The Paisley Pea.

Her business, which she also calls The Pea, creates and sells original and handcrafted bibs, burp cloths, blankets and delivery gowns for expecting mothers.

“It literally started out of my little studio in my house,” she said.

She got her inspiration from her grandmother, who was a mother of nine. Lyas said she grew up watching her grandmother sew clothes for her children and others, and after having her own children, Lyas decided to leave her job in pharmaceutical sales to be with her kids and to pursue her passion of sewing and fabrics. Thus, The Paisley Pea was born.

“Long story short, I always had a love for fabric,” she said. “It’s gone from really just being a hobby to being something much bigger.”

To get her business off the ground, she hired five local seamstresses to help her sew bibs, burp cloths and blankets to sell online. The Pea soon expanded to five local retailers in Vestavia, Mountain Brook and Homewood, and as the demand grew and The Pea started to include delivery gowns, she said she knew she would need to start outsourcing. 

Now, her items are sold in 75 boutiques across the country, including at Monograms Plus in Vestavia.

“Our stuff is made the way things used to be made,” Lyas said, adding that her items are made with thicker, more absorbent fabrics and are customizable. “People want something that’s special, something that’s not cookie-cutter.”

The delivery gowns are handcrafted, too, and made to personalize the delivery experience.

“Instead of the standard ugly hospital gown, girls like to look cute when they have a baby now,” she said. The gowns also serve as a nursing gown for the first year, so it’s not “just a one-day gown.” While the gowns are only available in three fabric designs, Lyas said she plans on adding additional seasonal prints in the future.

At the same time her baby items and delivery gowns are helping families, she’s using her business help others in the community.

“We’re a business, but we also function as a ministry,” she said.

Through The Paisley Pea, she and her team are working to feed hungry children. They work with local churches, who identify the best organizations to use those donations to combat hunger. Her goal with The Paisley Pea is to “feed and comfort the hungry little peas,” which correlates directly with her products: The bibs and burp cloths are for feeding, and the blankets are for comfort. 

“I’ve always had a heart for ministry; it was part of what my grandma did, of donating to the community,” she said.

When sewing, her grandmother would craft clothing for other local children in need, and Lyas wanted to continue her legacy.

“There’s a verse that says, ‘To whom much is given, much is required,’” she said. “And I’ve always known … to not keep riches to ourselves, but to bless others.”

Although her business has expanded greatly since it officially opened four years ago, Lyas said she plans to hold everything to the high quality of her original work and keep everything made in the U.S.

“We like to say it’s heirloom quality. It’s the stuff you can pass down to your other children,” she said. “With the push for shopping local, I love the idea that this company started very organically. And we’ve had tremendous support from local residents as well as retailers abroad.”

To learn more or to find a local retailer, go to thepaisleypea.com.