Company To Watch | LillyBit

LillyBit makes stylish, functional bags for mothers with young children.

Entrepreneurs Lyssa Surface, Jessica Schifman

Company Information LillyBit www.lillybit.com Type of Business Designer diaper clutches
and on-the-go accessories

Year Founded 2008

When she had her first child, Lyssa Surface found herself with a problem common to many young mothers: regular purses aren’t really built to hold baby-related gear, and she didn’t want to constantly haul around an enormous diaper bag either.

Nobody was selling a product that was both functional and fashionable.

“That’s when I realized there really was a fit and a need in the market,” said Surface, CEO of LillyBit.

Surface and designer/co-owner Jessica Schifman created the Uptown Diaper Clutch, a trifold bag with spaces for four to five diapers, wipes and rash cream, plus a pocket for wallet, keys and the rest of mom’s stuff. An adjustable strap lets women wear the bag over the shoulder or carry it as a clutch.

“It looks like a cute little clutch purse,” Surface said, “but when you pop it open, you can see all the pockets.”

LillyBit takes its name from Surface’s oldest daughter, Lilly. LillyBit is the nickname she picked up at daycare.

Amazon, Babies “R” Us, buybuyBaby, FAO Schwarz and other retailers sell the Uptown Diaper Clutch through their websites. The clutch also is available at buybuyBaby and Babies “R” Us stores in several states. Plus, there’s international distribution for shoppers in Canada, Australia, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

One of LillyBit’s biggest partners is Pampers, which includes the Uptown Diaper Clutch in its Gifts to Grow customer rewards program. Landing that deal was a big breakthrough for LillyBit, providing not only increased sales but greater exposure, too.

Despite the company’s success, LillyBit is just Schifman and Surface. They work with sales representatives and contract out any jobs they don’t do themselves.

An overseas manufacturer produces the clutches. That was another challenge that LillyBit had to face. Their original manufacturer, based in Los Angeles, closed down in 2010. Surface and Schifman were forced to find another factory that could make the bags at the same level of quality.

“Quality is extremely important for our brand and our product,” Surface said.

LillyBit is now on its third generation of the diaper clutch, which earned a utility patent. While Schifman and Surface continue to update that first success, they’re also developing other products, such as a cosmetics case, which will debut soon. And they sell designer carrying straps for yoga mats on their website.

Surface’s daughters are both past the diaper stage, but she still gets a lot of use out of her clutch. Like a lot of her customers, she has discovered the bag is a convenient way to tote hand sanitizer and juice boxes during afternoons out.

“It almost becomes a mommy utility belt,” Surface said.