18-Year-Old CEO Gabby Goodwin Lands Products In Claire’s — ‘Despite The Economic Challenges Now Facing Our New Retailer, We Will Celebrate’
Gabby Goodwin, a young entrepreneur, has secured a major retail deal.
Goodwin is the founder of GaBBY Bows, a hair accessories brand for curly girls that she launched at age 7 with the help of her mother. The brand is also responsible for the first patented double-face double-snap barrettes, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Its creation solves the problem of disappearing hair barrettes she experienced firsthand when half her bows would go missing at school. It also makes it easier to style hair.
“Guaranteed to stay in your girl’s pigtails, braids, and twists until you take them out,” Goodwin, the CEO, explained in an Instagram video.
Since launching in 2014, over 1 million GaBBY Bows have been sold across all 50 states and 15 countries. Goodwin became a six-figure breadwinner by the time she was in 6th grade. While she has experienced the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, Goodwin has taken to her social media to reveal she has landed a partnership with Claire’s, her dream retailer. Now, GaBBY Bows will be found across 600 Claire’s locations, she confirmed in an Instagram post.
“BIG NEWS: GaBBY Bows are now in 600 Claire’s stores nationwide,” a statement read on the company’s Instagram page. “This has been a dream in the making—and we need your help to keep it going!”
Goodwin’s retail deal with Claire’s comes at an interesting time. Claire’s filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time since 2018, Reuters reported. To lower its losses, Claire’s plans to sell its North American business to a private equity firm, Ames Watson. Claire’s has more than 2,300 stores across 17 countries in North America and Europe and stated in court filings that it has $690 million in debt.
Nonetheless, Goodwin maintains a spirit of optimism and hopes that it will be shared with customers.
“My family, friends, and village worked more than 600 hours to ship 14,000 packs of GaBBY Bows this summer. We had many hurdles, including increased tariffs that forced us to cancel manufacturing orders, lose a manufacturing partner, and change bow colors. But we did it,” Goodwin mentioned on Instagram. “So despite the economic challenges now facing our new retailer, we will celebrate this dream deal.”
“I need your support, and I need it now. I honestly don’t know how much time we will have with this opportunity. Grab all four colors for your girls…Celebrate with us by clearing the shelves. Thank you as always for all of your support,” she added.
