Update: Handmade Dolls To Stories For Children: An Interview with Jess Brown

UPDATE: 10/21/2015  Doll House: Jess Brown builds a doll-making empire in Petaluma 

Update: 8/16/2014 Mother Magazine recently featured INSIDE DOLL MAKER JESS BROWN’S WORLD on August 5, 2014 written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano.  In this post there are a lot a great photos of Jess’s home and children.

In our searches for great things happening in Petaluma, it’s hard not to run into an article about Jess Brown.  Her signature rag dolls are known internationally and she recently released another storybook for children.  Growing up in New York and Marin County, she decided to make her home and start her business in Petaluma.  Jess tells us that Petaluma is a magnet for creative people and supports entrepreneurial-ism mixed with art.  The Jess Brown label for her handmade rag dolls have caught international attention by big designer names as well as popular magazines like Vogue and Martha Stewart Living. In this interview you will get to know Jess Brown more and how this hard working mom balances her busy life.

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Wayne:  What first inspired you to make dolls?

Jess: I had begun making dolls for my daughter when she was a baby (now almost 16)

Wayne: Do your children have a favorite doll that they have kept over the years?

Jess: Both kids have a nice collection of dolls from the time they were babies until now. They each have favorites

Wayne:  Do they have names for them?

Jess: Stella’s favorite is “Mimma”. Tiger’s favorite is “Clyde”

Wayne: Where did you grow up?

Jess: I grew up half in New York and half in Marin County