'Beddbuggs' business booms for local woman

BUSINESS BEAT

Posted By FRANK ARMSTRONG WHIG-STANDARD STAFF WRITER

When Alison Turnbull-Smith's children suffered growing pains a few years ago, she fabricated some homemade hot bags to ease their discomfort.

"They were always wanting a hot water bottle and some of them would leak or be messy," said Turnbull-Smith, owner of BeddBudds BeddBuggs.

A mother of five children, she stitched hot bags out of old jeans and filled them with wheat and flax-seed. She gave these to her older children and made more colourful creations for her younger ones.

These bags can be used as hot bags that retain their heat by throwing them in the microwave or cold bags by throwing them in the freezer. The covers are removable so they can be washed.

As a former children's clothing designer, she had lots of fun fabric lying around and launched BeddBudds BeddBuggs out of her Kingston home in October 2007.

Her website - www.beddbudds.com - displays her line of products , including bug shaped hot bags and bags with different symbols, such as sweat peas and pumpkins.

She is also selling *cloth highchairs and receiving blankets and has already convinced six stores to sell her wares, including S&R Department Store, Canadian Kids Furniture on Princess Street, Designer Baby on Brock Street and Elements Spa on Strand Boulevard.

Some people might say Turnbull-Smith has come full circle since the days when she owned three Children's clothing stores between Napanee and Westport, including KidSpirit in Kingston.

She sold those businesses years ago when her fifth child was born.

After spending some time concentrating on her family, Turnbull-Smith joined an insurance company where she became a supervisor before deciding to return to her designing roots.

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