Sandy Springs entrepreneur faces ‘Shark Tank’ sharks with collectible stockings
ABC’s “Shark Tank” gave Kate Stice Stewart a gift she’s been seeking for years: a coveted spot on the show.
On Wednesday at 10 p.m., the Sandy Springs entrepreneur will pitch her Bauble Stockings to the Sharks in hopes of landing a financial partner or, at worst, exposure to millions of potential customers.
Stewart sells small hand-stitched stockings meant to be hung on Christmas trees that are used either to place their most meaningful Christmas gift or a clue to said gift. The goal is to make the recipient feel “truly seen and valued,” as the website notes.
“Save the best for last,” Stewart said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
She can’t say what happened on “Shark Tank” yet, but said, “it was vicious in there! It was way harder than I had expected.”
The five Sharks who considered her pitch on this Christmas-themed episode were Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Daniel Lubetzky, Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary and Lori Greiner.
The Bauble Stockings story began about 45 years ago after Stewart’s father Sandy Stice got married to her mom, Dale. After Dale hung a clay angel stocking on the tree, Sandy told the AJC he punched two holes in it and placed diamond chip earrings in each. Another year, she created a needlepoint mini-stocking, and he placed jewelry in it.
Stice, who goes by “Sandy Clause” around Christmas, said placing gifts in that stocking became a Christmas tradition. Some years, he would insert a clue to the gift in the stocking, like paintbrushes when he bestowed her art classes.
Over time, Stice involved his three kids in the gift planning as a way to honor their mom. “The mom gets the last gift because mom did all the work,” Stewart said.
Stewart as a child had no clue this was a singular tradition that did not extend beyond her family. When she got engaged, she even asked her fiance about what her family dubbed bauble stockings, but he had no idea what she was talking about. “I thought every woman got one,” she said.
Still, she loved the idea and wanted to spread the joy beyond her own family.
While working as an administrative assistant at her father’s real estate investment company, she launched Bauble Stockings. She wanted her stockings to be special and hand-knit, not made by a machine. But she said very few companies do that, given high labor costs.
After an arduous hunt, she found Good Threads Needlepoint , a firm in Haiti that employs more than 1,000 people, to stitch her stockings.
“People who work with us get paid like a mid-level Haitian nurse or teacher,” Stewart said. “We are one of the best-paying jobs in their town.”
She also broadened the concept beyond spouses so that stockings could be given to all members of the family.
One year, Stewart built her daughter Brianna a lemonade stand as her big Christmas gift. In her Bauble Stocking was a message sending her to a photo of a lemon, which led to a tip jar and other scavenger hunt clues until she figured out what the actual gift was. (Scavenger hunt clue cards are for sale on her website.)
Bauble Stockings officially launched in 2018, for purchase on its website and in 32 retail stores. For a time, it was a side hustle while she worked a full-time job and raised two children.
She only went full-time with Bauble Stockings in 2020 and didn’t start paying herself until 2022.
She acknowledged that the stockings’ retail price of $89.50 is high, primarily due to the hand stitching. They are now available at a range of mom-and-pop gift shops, plus Neiman Marcus, her biggest client to date, which also sells full-size stockings for $295 apiece.
She said a growth area has been custom stockings depicting different locations like Sea Island, Tennessee’s Blackberry Farm, and the White House through the non-partisan White House Historical Association. One of her favorites is based on Eloise of Plaza Hotel fame.
“Those customs have become collectible,” she said.
She said her sales are projected to grow to $1.7 million this year, up from $1.4 million. She hopes a “Shark Tank” investor can help her expand her brand, though she is aware her business is cutthroat.
“We have gotten knocked off left and right,” Stewart said. “But it’s fine. They’re not selling the same product. At the end of the day, I’m selling the real deal.”
If you watch
“Shark Tank,” 10 p.m. Wednesday on ABC, available the next day on Hulu and Disney+
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
