Attention, moms who like to gussy up their babies.

Three women from Champaign have started a company that sells handmade bows for children. Bow Sheep offers intricate bows, from standard pastel pinks to zebra-stripe designs, decorated with buttons, pearls and other embellishments.

The owners – Mallorie Owens, Sarah Windingland and Hannah McMahon – have several different lines, all named after their daughters, Remy, Ella and Lilah. One line – The Black Sheep line – tends to be more funky (think skulls).

All three women moved to the Champaign-Urbana area within the last year and met at an infant-toddler play group.

"We are all stay-at-home moms and we all have creative backgrounds," Mallorie Owens said.

While shopping at a local consignment store, they eyed some bows for sale, "but they lacked character," Owens said.

That prompted each to create their own designs about two months ago.

They're selling the bows on Facebook and plan to expand soon by selling on Etsy, the online shop for handmade items, and eBay, as well as launching their own Web site. You can find information about the new company at www.bowsheep.blogspot.com.

Bow Sheep will host a launch party from 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 13 at Cakes on Walnut, 114 N. Walnut St., C.

"We will have bows on sale, but it's more for people to get to know us," Owens said.

New businesses

New to the Village at the Crossing neighborhood is Gailey Eye Clinic, 2435 Village Green Place, C. The clinic, which can be reached at 398-1700, is expected to open Monday.

U TOP Fashion and Beauty, 802 Bloomington Road, C, opened recently. The store, located near Home Depot, sells fashion wigs and hair care supplies, as well as clothes and some shoes. It's open 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Decluttering

Local artist Lucy Synk has started Creative Clutter Busting to help people deal with all the extra stuff they've accumulated through the years.

"Some people have gotten to a point where they walk through a path in their home, where a whole room has become storage or they can't get their car in the garage," Synk said.

Sound familiar?

She's worked with people downsizing their homes and cleaning out storage spaces. She'll help figure out what to purge and how to best organize what's kept.

"In the process of downsizing myself, I got fascinated by the whole process, and I realized I was good at it. What was remarkable was how freeing it was to get rid of stuff," she said.

Synk can be reached at lucy.synk@gmail.com or 355-8581.

Marketing options

Midnight Graphics, a marketing and design agency in Champaign, has started offering monthly payment options for small businesses.

The idea was sparked by a small business client who wanted to launch an e-commerce Web site, but was unable to pay the upfront costs associated with the project, said Midnight Graphics' Jenny Edwards.

Small businesses can choose from two different payment levels, at $250 or $500 per month with no down payments or interest fees.

The firm can be reached at 898-2867 or www.midnightnow.com.

Savoy Wal-Mart remodel

Attention, area big-box shoppers, Wal-Mart in Savoy, 505 S. Dunlap Ave., has begun a renovation that will result in new shelving and signing, wider aisles and brighter paint and new signs.

Among the changes: the pet department will be near the grocery department.

The store will stay open during the renovation. There will be maps at the entrance if you need a guide on where to go. Most construction and moving will happen overnight. It's expected to be done by the end of September.

Are you opening a new business or changing an existing business? Christine des Garennes can be reached by phone at 351-5388 or 800-252-3346; by e-mail at cgarenne@news-gazette.com; or by regular mail at The News-Gazette, c/o It's Your Business column, P.O. Box 677, Champaign, IL 61824-0677.