Get to Know the Story Behind Stevie Js Headwraps
About Us
Hi y’all! I’m Sarah Yonts, owner of Stevie J’s. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education as well as a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership with a Principal certification. I am the proud wife to my college sweetheart & business partner Clay, mother to Stevie our two-year-old daughter, and Chandler our five month old daughter. I am a full time special education teacher and a full time “small-shop” owner. We live in the historic district of our town with our three dogs, Doodle (malti-poo), Tucker (golden-doodle), and Cooper (labra-doodle). Needless to say, our house is sort of like a circus!
Stevie is named after my dad, Stephen (Steve). Her middle name is after my late mother, Janelle, who passed away three days after I was born. “SJ” are the initials of my step-mom Sharon and my mother-in-law, Sally. Chandler’s middle name is after my late paternal grandmother, Julia, whom I was very close to. It was important to us, for them to have unique and strong names! We think they fit both of them perfectly!
God blessed Clay and I three years ago when we found out we were expecting. I have ALWAYS wanted to be a mother. When I was pregnant with my first born, Stevie (see above), I couldn’t find bows or headbands that 1. I liked 2. That were high quality and soft enough for her and 3. That were big enough… in Texas, the bigger, the better!
Growing up, I played volleyball and softball, so crafting wasn’t really my thing…much less sewing. BUT, there was literally nothing in stores that met all 3 of my requirements. Clay’s mom had the idea to teach me how to sew and what we came up with was our original cotton headwrap. I remember sitting at her kitchen counter, cutting and sewing different samples and sizes until I found the exact dimensions I liked. Once I finally got the hang of the machine, the fabric, pinning, and the odd way you have to hold the fabric and press the petal (harder than it sounds), I spent the rest of the day making Stevie one in every fabric option that we had.
Stevie’s due date was originally on September 26 which is the day that my mom passed away. I knew it was a “God thing” that He took her home on that day, yet was going to give me a piece of her on that same day 28 years later. Stevie had other plans. Days went by and she had gotten a little too comfy. That left me with no other choice but to fill my time coordinating several outfits with all of her new headwraps, and pack them for the hospital. After not dropping or dilating at all, we decided to schedule a c-section for October 9th. Can anyone guess what she practically came out wearing?! A headwrap! From that moment on, she has worn one everyday.
We had so many family and friends start asking if I could make them some headwraps. It wasn’t until one day driving home from East Texas, that I decided “Hey! I’m going to take a stab at making this into a business!” On that drive, I created a Facebook, Instagram, opened an Etsy shop, and the rest is history!
The obvious choice for our shop name was after our new babe, Stevie! For the first 18 months, we made and offered only cotton headwraps. These came in hundreds of solid and print options, were one size fits all from baby to adult, and could be tied in 5+ different ways. There was an intimidation factor for some with these wraps, being that you had to tie them yourself. However many people loved them because of their price point ($10), they got a product that could be shared with sisters, cousins, AND mom, could be tied so many ways, and could be washed. You just can’t beat that! It wasn’t until the evolution of something pre-tied, came along. So many people requested a stretchy fabric that could be slipped on and off. At first, we offered stretch lace wraps, ruffle wraps, and jersey stretch wraps to name a few. From there, I knew I wanted to streamline my brand and really make it a household name, which offered a staple piece that people wanted their kids to wear.
Chandler was born on December 1, 2017. She is the perfect addition to our family! She is a sweet baby, a laid back baby, a happy baby, and obviously a very stylish baby who is always rocking a headwrap! I didn’t realize when naming the company that I would likely have more children and the chances of #2 being a girl, was 50/50. So, when we found out that Chandler was a girl, I knew I wanted to incorporate her sweet name somehow. I decided that I would name our biggest collection, “Chandler’s”. Chandlers are very soft and have a texture to them. I carry over 40 Chandlers and people have seemed to really like the name!
I didn’t invent the bow, I just redesigned and improved upon something very traditional, classic, and recognized. A headband with a bow that is tied using the same material, equates to the perfect Stevie J’s headwrap! We say “no bow, no go!” Our headwraps are truly a staple in our family, and in so many of yours!
Stevie J’s allows us to provide for our girls' college! Clay and I hold education to a very high standard. I was always told that my faith, my family, and my education were the things that no one could ever take away from me. Those are the same values we want to instill in our girls. We want to be able to provide them a college education at no cost to them. All profits from Stevie J’s literally go straight into a savings account, solely to pay for their college expenses.
Our company and brand has expanded so much the last 6 months. We are in stores all across the nation, however we both continue to teach full time. Clay and I teach in the same district, but not at the same school. We both teach Special Education and we absolutely love our jobs and our students. Not only do we teach in our local school districts, but we started a prep program at a local restaurant, that focuses on teaching adults with special needs the job skills & social skills required to hold a job. We are grateful for these “jobs” and the ability it gives us to continue to impact so many young children, adults, and parents!
Family is such a big part of our life. We enjoy playing in our backyard, watching movies, going on golf cart rides in our neighborhood to look at the chickens and goats, playdates with our friends, hanging out with grandparents, and so much more! God has blessed my family with so much more than we deserve and we are forever grateful! We thank you so much for supporting our shop!