Donna Dunn and Jess Demers two close friends, created a small business based on a simple thought. They questioned the other businesses you would see around Connecticut, specifically on the Shoreline. The two of them wanted to change the way the clothing was made for visitors, or simply regular people on the Shoreline. Most of the merchandise seemed basic or didn’t have enough diversity locals could relate to, so it seemed boring. They wanted to spruce up the clothing and make it into a “salty” brand. Their brand name embodies what life is like on the Shoreline, and also achieves beachy vibes for people who enjoy spending time at the beach.
Donna and Jess work another job on top of this small business. So, it can be hard to manage time for 2 Salty Gals because their main job takes priority. They both set a schedule when to meet each day of the week, at a time that is most convenient for them. Donna herself works for the town of Clinton, at the Department of Public Works. She helps measure and press out the shirts. Jess, owns and operates Body Karma Studio. A yoga studio in the town of Clinton. She runs the studio on her own and manages social media and the online side of 2 Salty Gals. The business’s online presence, 2 Salty Gals also has a Facebook and Instagram page.
In their clothing brand, they offer: t-shirts, tank tops, hoodies, and long sleeves. There are also many smaller gifts to give like towels, jewelry, rocks, small frames, and signs. The product that they both wish to give is fun merchandise to get everyone to know you love life on the Shoreline. Customers can also pick up at the pop-up shop: 5 E Main St. Clinton, CT 06413.
Donna said, “We had discussed it for months, during Covid-19. When we were just sitting at the beach, or when we were out at restaurants, just talking about it. It took a couple of months to then fully go through with the idea of starting the business. Jess helped, and had a general idea in the process of starting the business, since she had a business of her own.”
Small businesses are hard to start because the business owners never know if the business is going to make enough money from. The first step most struggle with is the amount of money they have to pay to put towards the business.Taxes, payments for supplies, and also knowing the times when the business owner can sell the most product. For this business, they tend to sell their products at small fairs during the summer and holiday events. They also offer orders online, for pickup or delivery.
It can be hard at first to think of a business name, but for Jess and Donna, it just came to them. “I’m not really sure how we came up with the name, actually. We knew we wanted something beachy and fun sounding that represented the two of us, so 2 Salty Gals was born. I believe we came up with it fairly quickly, it just kind of worked.” Jess said.
The process to create each product can take time, Donna said, “We both come up with an idea, and discuss the design. Jess designs it on the computer, and then edits it until both of us concur on the design. Then from there, we decide on coloring and print out the design. First cutting, then kneading, and finally pressing it on to the shirt using the Cricut printer. Then the finished product is uploaded to the website, and we put it into the pop-up shop at Body Karma,” Donna concluded, “It can depend on the day, how long it can take making the merchandise. Some days are slow or fast. So the number of hours varies on the product.” Both salty gals, Jess and Donna, do have new designs they are in the process of producing this year.
