Business Opportunities Weblog

June 1, 2007 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

StarTribune.com:

Saylor Ratliff, 19 months, knew just what she wanted. When her mom, Krista Ratliff, parked her stroller outside and brought her into Hot Mama boutique on a rainy Friday morning, Saylor made a beeline for the big glass jar of animal crackers.

Like the other toddlers in the bright yellow-and-red boutique, she soon was occupied with a paper cup filled with lion and monkey treats, while her mom browsed the collection of Ella Moss tops, Michael Stars tees and the hottest premium-denim brands around — from Seven for All Mankind to Paige.

Hot Mama was the brainchild of Megan Tamte, 33, who has cultivated a loyal customer base by appealing to moms like her who are, or want to be, like the name promises, s-s-s-smokin’.

Tamte, a mother of two, came up with the idea right after she had her first child, Allison, now 10.

She talked and talked about her idea for five years. “I was spending all this time watching ‘American Idol.’ Then I decided, I’m not going to sit here and watch other people make their dreams come true. That was it. I poured it all into a business plan.”

Hot Mama opened in August 2004. Since then, the couple has opened two other stores in the Twin Cities and two more near Chicago, close to where Megan grew up. They plan to have seven stores by the end of the year.

Last month, Hot Mama launched nationally through an online shop that features “models” who are their real customers.

Despite the added convenience of shopping at home, a bigger part of Hot Mama’s success is customer service. Megan works on the floor at Hot Mama stores about three days a week.

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