The last time Lauren McCaugherty was seen regularly in Bridgeport it wasn’t unusual seeing her as part of a high school play production or a cheerleader pulling up her hair and tying it up to stay out of her face. The last time her sister Kendall was spotted on a regular basis here in Bridgeport, if she wasn’t pulling her hair back as part of a high school theatre production, she was doing it while  a member of the Indians track team.

 

While the fact that anyone – man or woman – pulling their hair back and out of their face should be considered any type of news is a fair point. Such is not the case with Lauren, a 2005 BHS graduate, and Kendall, a 2008 alum of the Johnson Avenue school, and their new venture. The sister duo have managed to take a follicle folly and turn it into a business opportunity.

 

Just a few months ago, in July to be exact, the McCaugherty sisters opened a handmade goods shop called DEARBORN & ELM on Etsy, an e-commerce Web site that features handmade vintage items and supplies. And their first product is elastic hair tie packs – an upgraded and much more sophisticated version of a product often referred to as scrunchies.

 

The idea to do the hair tie packs is the result of combining Lauren’s creativity with a bit of fashion and simplicity. After constantly being out with her younger sister and looking for things “we could make,” they finally found the correct product.

 

“When I made the first hair ties, it was easy and really proved to be fun,” said McCaugherty. “The thing is that they’re incredibly functional. We have them set up so that you can customize them with patterns and colors.”

 

Still, making a product doesn’t necessarily mean others will like it. Without the resources of a major firm to test out a product, Lauren found the perfect testing pool.

 

“I shared them with Kendall and our friends and everyone really liked them,” said Lauren. “It was then that we decided to do this as an on-line shop that we’ve talked about for a long time.”

 

The still relatively new DEARBORN & ELM is based out of Chicago. That, of course, may lead some to wonder what on earth are two Bridgeport girls doing in the Windy City and what does the name have to do with their product? The answer to both is simple.

 

After leaving BHS, both ended up heading to Illinois, where they attended the University of Illinois. Lauren graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. She also earned a Master’s Degree in History from DePaul University in 2012 and is currently working as an administrator there. Kendall earned her Illini diploma in 2013 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography. She currently works for Hedrich Blessing in Chicago as a Photographer’s Assistant and Retoucher.

 

While that answers one question, the dilemma of the name remains. The naming of the business, much like the discovery of its initial product, proved somewhat easy.

 

“That’s the name of an intersection in Chicago where Kendall and I have both lived at during our time in Chicago,” said Lauren.

 

They’ve shared an apartment there, lived separately in a different apartment there and have come back to that area over and over. In other words, they’ve spent much of their early adult and business formative years in that location.

 

As for the day-to-day operations, the bulk of that is Lauren’s responsibility. She is the company’s hair tie maker and store operator, which includes the obvious such as making the hair ties to the mundane that includes handling shipments. Kendall, to no one’s surprise that watched her at multiple events while in high school, is D&E’s photographer and image editor. Eventually, Lauren said they hope to add some of Kendall’s photography artwork to what the company offers.

 

While the company is still in its infancy stages and the sisters have full-time employment elsewhere, Lauren said they think there’s a future with what they’re offering. In fact, she said it’s something that just about anyone – particularly, but not limited to, women – can utilize.

 

“There’s a demand for them. I’m always misplacing my own and what I found from the past was that they were too tight or too loose or maybe I didn’t like the color,” said Lauren, who said her brother Matt can also use the product with his own long locks. “For anyone who thinks they’ve seen these before, they really are different. They don’t leave awkward creases in your hair and they’re comfortable on the wrist if you want to wear it there. Plus, the care for them is easy.”

 

As for the company’s actual description, they describe their product at a “modern and stylish alternative to the boring scrunchies of decades past. This fancy hair accessory doubles as a comfortable bracelet, keeping a stylish ponytail or trendy braid always at hand. Made of soft, stretchy satin, the elasticized fabric won’t snag your lovely locks or leave behind those awkward creases. Refresh your routine with D&E’s Elastic Hair Ties that are gentle on your hair and your wallet.”

 

While all that is nice, nothing works if the price isn’t right. And Lauren said she thinks they have not only a good product, but an affordable one that, as it says above, is gentle on the wallet. The hair ties are sold in packs of six; neutral colors for $7 and $10 for more elaborate colors and fabrics.

 

The good news? They’re handmade.

 

The good news for Lauren?

 

“I can make a pack of six in less than five minutes,” she said.

 

So far, the orders have come from their home state of West Virginia as well as Florida, Illinois, Texas and Massachusetts. There’s also been interest from Europe and that’s something D&E will be working on. And as they grow and plan on adding Kendall’s artwork, there are also plans to add knit accessories and other handmade items.

 

So far, the experience has been positive. Even doing work with her sister hasn’t proven to be an issue.

“We’re good to each other and respect each other. We both accepted each other’s quirks a long time ago. To be honest, it’s been a lot of fun and we’re comfortable with this,” said Lauren, who is married to D.J. Marty.

 

One other thing they’re comfortable with is the environment in which their product is being peddled – the vast world of social media and the internet. DEARBORN & ELM can be accessed through a number of social media venues and you can find them all below.

 

“We hope this grows and we’ve had a lot of support from people we know,” said Lauren. “We’d love to have people from West Virginia and our hometown try this because we’ve had a lot of positive feedback. We’re new so it’s still a little bit slow, but things are picking up and it’s already been a great adventure. We hope to keep it going.”