Mompreneur Turns Gifts Into A Business

By Angela Shupe on July 14, 2009 in News

When Joelene Chinn finishes one of her creations, it’s a bit like Rockford’s infamous Sock Monkey — gone punk.
The 33-year-old mother is the mastermind behind the rockin’ sock dolls popping up throughout the Rock River Valley. It’s only been a few months since she launched her business, Socks That Rock, but already Chinn has made some 500 sock dolls.
“Everywhere I go, I get in a conversation about them,” she said. “They’re so unique and it relates: Rock ’n’ roll is so ‘in.’ This is the right time.”
Decked out with piercings, tattoos and mohawks, each of Chinn’s sock dolls are originals.
“Every single one is one-of-a-kind,” Chinn said. “Even if I have two socks that are the same, they don’t sew the same.”