Chattanooga woman builds a business on sassy baby clothes

photo Anna Golladay, creator of Biased Baby, a baby clothing company featuring funny and off-color expressions and sayings, shows off one of her products.

Anna Golladay does not have children, but she constantly has babies on the brain.

According to her business card, she is the "creative smarty pants and chief officer of inappropriate nonsense" of Biased, Baby, touted as "a custom baby apparel [company] filled with undeniable attitude and sarcasm."

"Go figure," quipped Golladay, of Chattanooga. "I have a baby company and I don't have children."

Golladay says she and Mike Krigbaum, her husband of 15 years, have always been "the cool couple kids wanted to hang out with because we let them get away with things."

She began designing onesies for her friends' children, starting with political messages, and gifting them to her friends, depending on where they fell on the political spectrum.

Currently, she has onesies that show support for either Gov. Mitt Romney or President Barack Obama.

"I have a very twisted, sarcastic view of life," she said. "I think we're often too quick to hide what we're feeling. I think babies are an excellent way for parents to show a little bit of attitude. I also think it's really funny to make clothes that say funny things when the person wearing it can't say anything at all."

Biased, Baby gestated slowly. One might say Golladay was pregnant with the idea for half a decade.

She launched the company in 2005 but said it sat on the shelf for more than five years. In 2011, she began selling her work on the e-commerce website Etsy, and the business grew from there.

"If you ask me how long it's really, truly been a functioning business, it's been about a year," said Golladay, who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Shepherd University, and is in the process of completing a graduate thesis in marketing at West Virginia University. By day, she works as the creative director of Top Flight Paper.

Golladay does the design work on her computer, prints the images on laser transfer paper, and transfers the images on to onesies through an industrial heat press she keeps in her spare bedroom.

Biased, Baby evolved as Golladay created more humorous designs: A picture of a chick and a magnet. A broken pink crayon with the words "You so cray." A set of two onesies -- one with an image of peas, the other with carrots -- for twins.

There are homages to different fraternities and sororities, as well as to the military. "My dad is a soldier," one design reads, "what superpower does yours have?"

One of Golladay's designs appeared in a segment of the "Today" show earlier this week. The onesie features images of cocktails with the caption "Mommy is way more fun now that she can drink again." It earned laughs from co-hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb.

There are pop culture references -- a periodic chart shows the elements barium, zinc and gallium -- BaZnGa, or "bazinga," the catch phrase of a character on the television comedy "The Big Bang Theory." Three of her designs refer to the "Fifty Shades of Grey" book series. Two refer to "The Muppets."

Some of the images are politically incorrect. There are several references to bodily functions, such as "pursuant to my second amendment rights, this diaper is loaded;" and allusions to sex -- "Mommy's new 'I have a headache' excuse."

Valorie Brown, 50, bought a pair of biased baby onesies for her twin grandchildren, age two. For Everly, she selected a design with a picture of a cupcake and the words "just a lil' ol' cupcake, looking for her stud muffin." Xander received the "chick magnet" illustration.

"It's so cute," Brown said. "I would have liked to have bought more of the risque ones, but I'm being a good grandmother, at least for now."

Golladay recognizes, however, that some of her products are not for everyone. "I do have people who are extremely sensitive to some of the things I say," she said. "I have other people who think they are hysterical. I do think it's subject to how you think the recipient is going to respond."

Rebecca Parker, 29, said she would be amused to see one of the "cleaner" designs on a baby, but said she most likely would not dress her children, ages 11 months and 2.5 years, in any of Golladay's selections.

"People find different things funny," she wrote in an online message. "Wear one of those and you're bound to offend (or amuse) someone."

Golladay knows there will be people who don't care for some of her designs. She is quick to point out that that there are is a wide range of apparel available, including custom onesies that can be created specially. With the more controversial onesies, especially the political ones, she makes an effort to poke fun at both sides of the coin.

"I'm a total equal opportunity offender," she said. "I don't agree with a lot of the stuff I design, but I'm also a businesswoman."

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