The need for a good personalized apron- our story!

Tooele resident Amy Reidling has a passion for aprons - frilly aprons, sassy aprons, vintage aprons, polka-dot aprons, aprons for men and zebra-stripe aprons. Personalized aprons, aprons for cooking, cleaning, yard work, holiday parties and tailgating.

Reidling also has a passion for charity. And just a few months ago, she finally launched Aprons by Amy - her dream business combining both her love of aprons and her love of others - after nearly eight years of planning.

The Reidlings have operated their own small embroidery business since 1998, which is exactly why they never expected their personalized aprons branch-off to become so popular so quickly.

"I wanted to start out at the beginning with a charity," Reidling said. "But I really didn't know where it was going."

Where it was going was an online business that after just a few months of operation has generated enough hype to have sold more than 100 personalized aprons for the Christmas season - before Black Friday. In addition to local customers, Reidling has taken orders from all over the nation, and her first international order came in from England just a few days ago. It's a success that, according to her, can't be expected of a business so young.

"Usually when you have a new idea, it's like a baby," she said. "It starts to crawl, and then to walk. But this thing has literally started at a run."

Using the set up from their original embroidery business, Aprons by Amy offers a variety of aprons - from the little black dress apron, their most popular item, to personalized aprons, animal print aprons and aprons for men. Amy can also customize them with unique embroidered images and monograms.

They offer a selection of pre-made designs for customers to choose from, but because her husband, Joe, has a talent for digitizing just about any design, Amy felt confident claiming they could create any image a customer could dream up, with the exception of copyrighted designs for personalized aprons. Over the last few months, the Reidlings have taken orders ranging from as simple as a personalized aprons with embroidered initials to embroidering full, hand-drawn images.

Amy felt she owed at least part of her new business's success to the charity portion of Aprons by Amy. A portion of every purchase made - about a dollar per apron - is sent to either the National Autism Association of Western Utah, or directly to the National Autism Association itself. From there, the money goes to fund programs that provide treatment for those families who otherwise could not afford therapy for their children - therapies that are often not covered by insurance.

Their youngest son, 7-year-old Cole, who has autism, inspired the Aprons for Autism charity. It was an idea that she resisted at first, wanting to avoid making her son's diagnosis public.

Eventually, she came to terms with the idea, and Amy's Aprons for Autism soon became a successful reality.

"I think people resonate with the cause," she said. "One in six children has a learning disability, and autism is increasing [in prevalence]."

The Reidlings are now nearly ready to make their first donations, a prospect that excites her, though Amy said they are not yet sure what the total will be. Orders are coming in so quickly that, despite their best efforts to keep their products in stock, certain popular aprons and fabrics are already sold out until the new year. If that success can assist others, Amy said, then it is all the better.

"A little hope is better than nothing," she said.

Whatever the cause may be, Aprons by Amy customers certainly seem taken by her personalized aprons. Amy said at least one woman has told her she collects the different styles of aprons offered on her site. Another woman said her daughter has asked for an apron of her own for Christmas. But her No. 1 customer demographic is men.

"Right now, the men are really buying for the women," Amy said. "Men are buying multiples of even 10."

Most of the personalized aprons they buy, she suspects, are the results of one-stop shopping for her customer's female relations. It's not uncommon for her to receive an order of multiple unique aprons - some suited to completely opposite tastes. But she has made several sports-related aprons for tailgating as well. In either case, when a man orders, Amy said it is rare for her to have to walk the customer through the ordering process.

"They seem to know exactly what they want," she said. "It's the ladies who are more nit-picky. Men don't get as hung up on the details."

Thus far, the aprons business has been so successful that Amy said she intends to introduce a
of personalized aprons every month next year, beginning in January with what she calls the "Monogram Chic Line," a series of aprons with print and sold fabrics arranged to complement custom monograms. After that, she plans to add a line that resists dirt and hair for house cleaning and hair stylists. These aprons, she hopes, will be sold in sets with matching gloves.

What exactly is fueling the personalized aprons' popularity continues to evade the Reidlings, who cited the charity aspect, the ability to make a unique gift, and nostalgia. But the ultimate advantage of her aprons, according to Amy, is that they can make anyone look like a "professional mom" - a term first coined by her daughter.

"It makes you look like a legitimate good cook," Amy said. "Go get take-out and you still look like a rock star."

Amy's personalized aprons aren't all just for sale. She has made several for herself, as well.


"I have my personalized aprons for every task," she said. "I have an apron for cleaning the house, an apron for cooking, and even an personalized apron for working in the garden…. Can you really have too many?"