My Best Friend Iowa

Our History

From Our Founder, Rebecca

About Me and Why I choose to start this business in 2005 in Colorado.

In 2005 I was a single mom of 4 awesome children! Throughout the years we always did fun crafts since they were just a year old. This was a part of our life since as far back as they could remember. And being tight on money and having to plan fun birthday parties every year for each child. So we had fun birthday parties that included crafts according to the party them. We did everything from tie-dye shirts to which I purchased package of men's t-shirts (size depended on the age of the children at the time. Each Child would tie-dye their own shirt, I would hang them out to dry (we lived in Colorado at the time so it didn't take long for the cute tie-dyes to dry. And each child would wear their tie-dye shirt for their pajamas for the slumber party and took them home to where at home as well! We also did small plush animals that the children hand sewed and stuffed, again a fun craft they could take home and enjoy. Another fun Idea for a birthday party was I purchased white coffee mugs at the Dollar Store and they painted them with special paints that I then cooked in the oven and they had them to take them home as well. I had so much fun doing this with my children, and their birthday parties were always a wild success! Instead of Goody Bags filled with a bunch of junk, they got to make something awesome and take it home with them!

Back to 2005, again I was a single parent of 4 children from 5-10. And I was just starting my Graduate School Majoring in Business. I thought it would be fun to start a small business at this time, let me children help out at the same time putting the Lessons I was learning for my MBA into a real life business. Taking advantage of my small business that I was starting and doing throughout my 4 years of Grad School, and utilizing all the lessons that I was learning into my business in real time. My business was called My Best Friend Colorado. And the business was taking a portable stuffing machine to birthday parties and other events, letting the children choose an unstuffed animal and an outfit. The children would then help stuff the animal with the portable stuffing machine. My children and I had so much fun doing this part time together, and they learned great lessons in the process.

We did many different events, as to try many different event s to do this at. In Parker, Colorado, we set up our tent and machine at Halloween for Horses. We also set up our tent at Parker Days, the summer carnival and concert festival that draws over 200,000/yr each year. We were hired to do a Summer Camp Event at Cherry Creek Country Club and the children lined up and had a wonderful time! We did a Church Bazaar with a local church and donated all profits to the church for their fun raiser. And of course, we did many private birthday parties!

Once I graduated with my MBA, and my children at that time teenagers, I closed our part-time business experiment. Having fun along the way, sharing time with my children, mastering ideas and lessons learned in my schooling and sharing so many special memories with all the children we served.

I closed down the company with no plans to ever opening my business up anymore. The Great Recession was just too hard on people at the time and demand was down, my children were doing their own things, and I had gotten a full time Accounting Position with a large Manufacturing Company and I just didn't have the time any longer to continue my Part time business. And at this time, I was a single parent of 4 teenagers, along with maintaining a house and working full-time and many days overtime.

Life changed that. I was born in Iowa and every summer I would spend the summer at the farm in Cumming, Iowa. The farm was so important to me as a child, that I brought my children to visit the farm every summer since they were little. When they grew up and were old enough to go without me, I sent them 2 at a time for a few weeks, to have the same wonderful experience as I had as a child.

In 2019, my children were all graduated from college and on their own. My dad was finally put into a nursing home in Iowa, so I sold my home of 20 years and moved back "home", back to my home that I never completely left in my heart. My dad is doing well. And I was missing having children around and I needed something to do to fill my soul in my new life. Thus, I decided to start My Best Friend Iowa. It's taking a lot of time getting up and running, especially with Supply Chain Problems and The Covid Pandemic. Any with so many families struggling, I wanted to offer a reasonable inexpensive option for home parties. So not only will we be offering our full party with the portable stuffing machine, we are offering at home kits. You still will get the same great products as our regular party and event, the only difference is that we will mail you your chose of animals and outfits and you can have a special event and the children can hand stuff the animals.

We look forward to serving Iowa for many years to come. We hope you enjoy us as much as we will enjoy you!