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06/06/2007
When old becomes new againStore recycles wool clothing into new itemsSpecial to the Record-Eagle About baabaaZuZu
baabaaZuzu owner Sue Burns sits in a pile of wool sweaters and jackets. The Lake Leelanau store gets about about a ton of wool clothing a month to turn into items such as hats, gloves, scarves, bags and jackets. Address: 1006 S. Sawmill Road, Lake Leelanau Phone: (231) 256-7176 Online: www.baabaazuzu.com Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Employees: 20 Years in business: 13 "In business" is a weekly feature on northern Michigan businesses. LAKE LEELANAU — Sue Burns took a clothing calamity and turned it into a business opportunity. In 1994, her husband Kevin was doing laundry and shrank two of her wool sweaters. Rather than throw them out, Burns used the sweaters to make jackets for her two daughters. Soon after, friends saw them and started asking her for similar jackets. "Bells rang, and I started baabaaZuzu,” said Burns. "The name comes from the source of our wool and my nickname "Zuzu.” Burns started the business in her living room, and, soon, baabaaZuzu had taken over the basement. The business then moved to its location on South Sawmill Road, just outside Lake Leelanau. While Burns started with children's clothing, she soon expanded to making jackets and vests for adults. People liked them, so they added scarves, hats and mittens. "Mittens are our most popular item,” said Burns. "Last year we sold 8,000 pair and they don't even match. Because each mitten is unique, we say they are coordinated, but they don't match.” All of baabaaZuzu's clothing line is made from 100-percent recycled material, most of it from secondhand shops that have too much inventory or items that are slightly damaged. The bustling workshop receives items from Goodwill stores in Traverse City and Grand Rapids. Each month, about a ton of used clothing arrives at the shop — mostly wools and wovens — including sweaters, suit coats and pants. The baabaaZuzu staff launders, shrinks, cuts and processes the used clothing. Then they turn the items into one-of-a-kind funky apparel. It's a very labor-intensive business, but Burns says the results are worth it. "Everything we make is unique,” she said. "It's the special details, like vintage buttons, a small pocket or a hand-sewn blanket stitch that makes our things one-of-a-kind.” The shop has experienced steady growth over the years, but exploded last year, posting a 43 percent increase in sales. During the first quarter of this year, baabaaZuzu has done four times the business it did during the opening quarter of last year, Burns said. In addition to the shop just west of Lake Leelanau, baabaaZuzu apparel can be found at Green Island and Cali's Cottons in Traverse City, The Painted Bird in Suttons Bay, The Secret Garden in Empire, The Black Swan in Glen Arbor and Manitou Outfitters in Leland. They also ship anywhere in the United States.
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