By Brad Harper
Montgomery Advertiser, Ala.
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Age is nothing but a number to 8-year old Anna Gleason who was inspired by her dog “Sugar” to launch a T-shirt company. At Anna’s request, each shirt sold includes a tag with a rub-on tattoo of Sugar’s image.
Montgomery Advertiser, Ala.
Eight-year-old Anna Gleason had a good reason for starting her own T-shirt company:
Her dog, Sugar.
“I wanted her to be famous,” Anna said.
The Bear Exploration Center student has spent part her summer in an east Montgomery office coming up with shirt designs that feature her Goldendoodle pup and then getting the shirts in area stores.
A wall of shirts behind her desk showcase her first few designs and catchphrases, along with the name of the business, Southern Doodle & Co. She laughs as she holds up one with a drawing of her dog draped over an anchor that says “Take your tail to the beach.”
Her mother, Linda Gleason, said Anna insisted that the tag on every shirt include a rub-on tattoo of Sugar. Because who wouldn’t want a rub-on tattoo?
But the eight-year-old is all business as she describes the designs she’s working on now for next spring and summer — a paddleboat theme, a camping shirt and a Fourth of July design with Sugar in a red bandanna. Her mother wants her to be done with all of that by fall so she can focus on elementary school once classes start again.
“She has so much going on,” said Linda Gleason, who owns Logoland Marketing.
Jan Sikes said she was impressed after talking to Anna and seeing her shirts, so she decided to buy some to sell at Sikes and Kohn Country Mall in Ramer. Sikes said they sold out of the initial order and recently got some more in.
“I just thought it was really neat that this little girl had designed a T-shirt,” Sikes said. “We try to help out people who are starting a business.”
Southern Doodle & Co. shirts are also selling at the Goat Hill Museum Store in the state Capitol building and at Shoe Station stores in Eastchase, Spanish Fort, Mobile, Tallahassee, Fla., and Flowood, Miss.
They’ve even sold a few at the Logoland Marketing building where Anna has set up shop in a back office.
