Sarah Shelby was bundling up for a wintry day.

She threw on a bulky warm coat and reached for her baseball hat.

But something was missing.

“I just didn’t feel feminine,” said Shelby, who is known for wearing signature bows in her hair. “I thought, ‘what if this signature baseball hat could solve the problem with the simple adornment of a bow?’”

She approached her older sister and friend Katie Shelby, who has a background as a corporate retail buyer, about the idea. They put their heads together and created Bits & Bows, a brand of baseball hats with flair.

The company launched June 16, 2021.

The hats have embroidered designs such as ballet slippers, rainbows and unicorns. They also create holiday styles.

Customers can customize by selecting a color and adding a monogram.

They started with girls and moms hats. They’ve added boys and plan to launch a baby collection in 2023.

Prices start at $28.

Items can be purchased online at shopbitsandbows.com and in any of the 150 retailers and country clubs that carry the brand. They’ve hosted Pop-Up shops in various states as well as some throughout Pittsburgh and Fox Chapel.

The company added wholesaling in January, which allowed it to expand throughout the South and along the East Coast, Sarah said, with the assistance of representatives in Dallas, Atlanta and New England. The sisters help shops create attractive displays and supply quality images for those who have an online presence.

“A picture is worth a billion words,” Katie said.

The company’s foundation is built on creating childhood memories like the ones the sisters had growing up in Fox Chapel, they said.

For Sarah, she remembered the box of brightly colored and patterned bows she wore each day.

For Katie, it’s her love of horses where a bit, a piece that fits into the animal’s mouth, is used to give the rider more control.

They chose to use a baseball hat because it is a tried-and-true favorite. It can add personality to every little girl’s and woman’s personal style, Sarah said.

An added benefit is as a post-sweat accessory — after horse riding or another activity — to pull together an athleisure look.

The hats were initially available with several detachable bows that could be replaced to complement specific outfits. The sisters decided things would be more seamless to have it all in one. They re-designed each hat to have a permanent bow.

“We believe in the joy our products can bring, and that there is some magic with our hats,” Sarah said. “The world is crazy right now, and we strive to use joy to connect with our customers. To see their little ones years from now wearing those hats in family photos will bring back those moments in time.”

The sisters can tailor their product to the area of the country where it is being sold.

“We both love a challenge,” Katie said. “It’s about navigating the field and making adjustments as we go. We reach out to other people in the industry and learn from them. They are amazing resources.”

They recently launched on Maisonette.com, a children’s e-commerce platform started by two Vogue editors offering “favorite kids brands all in one place,” Sarah said.

“They are aligned with our brand and our mission,” said Sarah, 31, who lives in Hampton. “We, like them, are doing something we are passionate about. We are building a Bits & Bows community.”

It’s about convenience for the customer, said Katie, 33, of Fox Chapel, a mom of two boys.

“As moms, our plates are full, and we need ways to get things done in a timely fashion,” Katie said.

Being sisters makes them great partners because they can say anything to each other. Sarah handles the creative side while Katie, with her background in retail, is more proficient in business matters.

Navigating a pandemic has been challenging, they both said. They’ve had supply-chain issues. Katie learned to sew to be able to create a few samples.

The hats are made overseas. The bows are made in the U.S., and the hats assembled here.

They’ve established a social media following. Pittsburgh native Courtney Smith, who lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. has purchased several hats for herself and daughters ages 14, 11 and 9. She plans a purchase for her son, 6.

Living in a warm climate, hats are a necessity, Smith said.

“The hats are amazingly soft cotton, and they fit nicely,” said Smith, who knows the Shelby family. “They pay attention to detail. And it just oozes with cuteness. Their passion and hard work shows.”

Katie’s and Sarah’s three siblings and parents Chris and Judy Shelby have supported their venture, as well as Katie’s husband Brad.

“Our mother has always made shopping magical and a positive experience for us,” said Katie, who chose the Saks Fifth Avenue store for her fifth grade career day.

“We turn moments into memories,” Sarah said. “It’s not just a hat.”

And it all began a few years ago when Sarah needed to add a feminine touch to her ball cap. The company is now celebrating its one-year anniversary.

“It all goes back to that one wintry day,” Sarah said. “That’s when creating the stories and the memories began. Bits & Bows is a sister-started brand with a mission to inspire children and women to celebrate more of life’s everyday magic.”

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