Some entrepreneurs take years to launch their first business. Veronica Jackson took nearly three decades.

Jackson, who lives in Abbeville, S.C., is owner of the KenJa Co., a family owned business that makes hand-sewn rag dolls, many of them designed to resemble the intended owner.

Want a doll with pecan-colored skin and kinky black hair?

Jackson can make it.

Or, if you prefer, she can make your doll to look Asian or Caucasian… or with any other facial features you desire.

Jackson launched the company in 2008 after taking early retirement as a customer service supervisor at a mail order company. She named the business after her two adult children, a daughter, Kendall, and son, Jay.

It was Kendall and Jay, in fact, who persuaded their mother to start the business. And it was Kindall, 28 years ago, who sparked the initial inspiration.

To understand the company’s short history, it helps to know some background.

Jackson said she was born in Harlem, N.Y., and spent her formative years there. After graduating high school she attended Bronx Community College with dreams of being a nurse. But money was tight, she said, and as a single woman living alone, she need fulltime work.

“I took a leave of absence from earning my degree but never returned,” she said “I met my husband, Early, soon after, and the rest is history.”

Well, not quite.

Jackson said she got into secretarial work and had two children.

When Kendall was three, the little girl asked her mother for a rag doll. Jackson said she searched all over for one that looked like her daughter. Unable to find one, she decided to make one, instead.

She started with fabric that matched her daughter's skin tone.

“As a black mother, I had never seen a rag doll that mimicked my daughter,” Jackson recalled.

From there, Jackson said, she began sewing dolls for others and gave them away.

The family moved to South Carolina in 1990 to be closer to her husband’s mother, who was beginning to have health concerns.

After retirement, Jackson said, she was looking for something to do. That’s when Kendall and Jay reminded their mother of her long-forgotten hobby. If fact, they suggested she make a business of it.

Jackson now sells her KenJa Co. dolls at festivals, vendor events and at arts & crafts workshops. She and Kendall recently packed up dozens of her dolls and drove to downtown Atlanta, where they set up shop at a festival in Centennial Olympic Park.

The company also is rebuilding its Web site to increase online sales. The redesigned site should be completed later this month, Jackson said.

Each doll comes with an outfit, including socks and shoes. She also sells a line of accessories. (For boys, the dolls are called “pals.”) They come in a variety of skin tones, hair textures and facial features. Some are made from photographs mailed to the company.

Jackson said she sews every doll by hand. She can make three 15-inch dolls in about a week. A 35-inch doll takes about two weeks.

“My dolls are not the cookie-cutter type of item, as no two dolls are exactly alike,” she said. “The cutting and shaping of three-piece eyes; the cutting and shaping of the lips; the hair is sewn in one strand at a time. I am a perfectionist, and that requires some do-overs when the dolls do not meet my standards.”

Daughter Kendall, now 31, handles promotions and marketing. Son Jay, 38, was instrumental in creating the Web site. They both are responsible for the company’s day-to-day operations and financial decisions.

Asked about future plans, Jackson said she envisions the company using the Web site for nationwide sales. She also recently started a line of dolls called “My Little TTF,” (topsy-turvy friend). She described the TTF as two dolls in one, neither with legs and connected at the torso.

“It has an extra-long skirt to cover the body of the second doll were the legs would appear normally,” she said. “Flip the skirt over and there you have a totally different doll.”

Another product coming soon is a 15-inch "Ballerina Princess," fashioned in a pink outfit with ballerina shoes, tights, leotards and tutu. The hair is held together with ribbons sitting high on top of the doll’s head in the shape of a shaggy pompom.

As for the family, Jackson said a new generation may one day join the company.

“My granddaughter, Janae, at 13 years old (Jay's daughter) expressed some interest and created her very first doll during her recent visit earlier this year,” Jackson said. “So who knows? I'll leave my options open and let things happen by remaining flexible.”

Editor's note: Do you own a business you'd like to see profiled on Qcitymetro.com. Email us at editor@qcitymetro.com and tell us what makes it special.

Sign up for our Weekly Email Newsletter Email: For Email Marketing you can trust

Other Ways to Share Twitter Del.icio.us MySpace

Discussions and Submission Agreement