Two years ago, education alumna Sarah Couvillion and her now 4-year-old daughter, Olivia, bought chickens. Instead of heading to the supply store to find an average, basic chicken coop, Sarah wanted something in her backyard that drew her to it everyday.
“I had this little chicken coop built, and it looks like a little doll house,” Sarah said. “And now I feel like it’s helped make my backyard something I enjoy going into again.”
Adding this chicken coop and decorating the house with furniture and photographs are some of the little details Sarah thinks brings beauty and happiness to life — a mantra she lives by after going through the loss of her husband in 2012 at 26 years old.
However, she’s turned the effect of this loss around by creating the children’s clothing and accessories company, Plum and Violet.
Sarah said her business idea originally started as a brick-and-mortar store — a typical children’s clothing shop.
When her husband died, the business was put on hold.
During the grieving period, Sarah discovered an email account her husband set up for their daughter to read as she grew up. One email details Sarah getting started on a children’s clothing company and how proud he was of her.
This discovery got Sarah moving again, but this time with an even stronger vision — to bring beauty into people’s lives.
Plum and Violet officially opened online 10 months ago, and instead of stocking clothing from other designers, Sarah buys patterns and picks out fabrics for exclusive clothing created by her seamstress, Charla Burchfield.
She said going this route allowed her to find children’s clothing she couldn’t find anywhere else.
Sarah likes to dress her daughter in trendy clothing, so creating her own merchandise helps her find what she wants in reality.
Sarah began with children’s clothing because she said it’s something she knows with dressing her daughter everyday. She said Olivia is the driving inspiration behind Plum and Violet.
“She knows what she likes,” Sarah said. “I’ll ask her ‘Do you like this dress?’ because I feel like even though they’re little kids, they definitely still have a mind of their own.”
She said Olivia will put her hand in the business to help her mother out. While Sarah has the final say, she said she’s taken Olivia to the fabric store with help choose styles for new collections.
“She’s the model for everything, and judging by her reaction when she puts clothes on, I kind of gauge other people’s reactions to it,” Sarah said.
Right now, Plum and Violet sizes children from newborn to size 14, but it’s not opposed to expanding.
She said because the business is still in the beginning stages, offering a women’s dress is a little too advanced, but it could be the next step. She said she is currently working on an idea called “Like Mother, Like Daughter” where she will provide clothing suggestions from local boutiques so mothers can coordinate with their daughters.
She is also working on collaborating with other local female entrepreneurs like her sister-in-law Hope Johnson, who owns a letterpress business, The Little Blue Chair. They’ve worked to create designs printed on onesies for a Plum and Violet collection.
“In addition to what she offers as a collection, she also gives little shout outs to other businesses,” Johnson said.
She’s no stranger to small businesses in the area, either. Sarah is currently collaborating with small businesses to place her merchandise in a boutique from her hometown of Central City, Louisiana, called Southern Charm Marketplace.
The items Plum and Violet sells that are not made-to-order are placed there so customers can see them in person and allow their children to try them on.
“It’s a great give and take, plus you get to meet new people,” Couvillion said. “You get to work with other people, and it’s just really fulfilling, creatively.”
Sarah wants these collaborations to continue on with Plum and Violet, especially with other alumni like textiles, apparel design and merchandising students.
You can reach Meg Ryan on Twitter @The_MegRyan.

Gallery • 7 Photos

Emily Brauner

LSU graduate, Sarah Couvillion, started her own business called Plum and Violet, for which she designs children's clothing.