“When I go to the store, the selection of black dolls is minimal,” she said. “People like to see dolls that look like them.”
Graves is a 40-year-old radiation therapist from Chicago who in recent years decided to pursue her dream of creating dolls that celebrate African-American women. While working full-time, she is slowly bringing Trinity Designs onto the market with hopes of one day being the number one designer and manufacturer of minority-inspired dolls.
It’s a huge undertaking. The doll industry is dominated by a few major players and those companies aren’t interested in sharing any of their secrets, Graves said. Couple that with challenges such as sourcing materials, designers, sculptors, and a manufacturer, and you have a venture that few would decide to pursue. But Graves is on a mission to create something that she can pass on to her children.
Trinity Designs is fairly young, having launched just two years ago. Graves is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and started the company with an idea for a doll that would symbolize the sisterhood.
“You can find rag dolls, figurines, and statues, but you can’t find a fashion doll. I decided I would make one for myself,” Graves said. ”I decided I wanted a bigger doll. I went with a 16-inch doll and had a prototype made. I have a seamstress that sews the clothes, a lady that designs doll hair, and a doll sculptor. It took a little over a year.”
Graves shared the prototype with her sorority sisters who also wanted one. Form there her idea grew to include other sororities. "trinity designs" Fraternities and sororities may seem like a small niche market, but it’s a niche that likes to celebrate membership with clothing and other gear reflecting the tradition. Graves designed dolls with hands that would be able to move. Each sorority’s doll makes the group’s unique hand signal. They also sing.
Navigating an industry like doll making, which unlike restaurants and retail operations lacks any kind of how-to manual, is challenging for this first-time entrepreneur. But Graves doesn’t take the veterans she has working with her for granted.
“My doll sculptor has been very helpful and gives recommendations,” she said. “But no company is going to take you under their wing.”
The reaction of people to her product gave Graves the confidence to begin plans to expand beyond the sorority market into children’s dolls. The 16-inch sorority dolls are collectibles which is reflected in the higher price point of $149. Graves is working on a prototype for an 11.5-inch doll, the same size as Barbie, which at $20 to $30 will be more accessible to the average consumer.
One of the biggest challenges thus far has been access to capital.
“Getting a business loan is next to impossible and there’s no such thing as grant money even though they say there is. It’s not the reality,” she said. “When you have a start-up, banks want you to have huge amounts of your own money. It’s very difficult financially for new businesses.”
Graves received three small loans from friends and family to get a meager base from which she could start, but all other funds have come from her own pocket.
“It takes longer to get something done because you’re working with little funds,” she said.
Access to capital and working full-time with two children are big challenges for Trinity Designs, but Graves can see beyond those hurdles and is brainstorming the company’s future and looking to diversify its offerings.
“One of the biggest costs has been patents and trademarks. And the original sculpt was $5,000,” she said. “Our sculptor has been phenomenally gracious and has done more to help me than the average person would.”
Graves’s first shipment of dolls launched last year and the 300 “Essence of a Delta” dolls did well. However, marketing will be a bigger focus on the next round, Graves said.
“Marketing is a really expensive component of any business. Even two years after the pre-orders, people don’t know I’m out there,” she said. “I have to keep telling people about it. Now that I have these 300 in circulation, I’m able to tell others and show them the product. People have to see the doll, because it’s hard to show size. People are stuck on Barbie and she’s nothing like Barbie.”
Graves is modeling her children’s doll line after her daughters and is hoping to sell those wholesale through retailers and keep the more expensive, 16-inch dolls for sale on her website.
“I really think God gave me this idea as a gift and as something that has the potential to make me the largest producer of African-American dolls,” Graves said. “You don’t have a company with a line dedicated to minorities. Ideally I don’t just want to make black dolls – I also have designs in mind for Hispanic women. A lot of people get overlooked in the doll industry.”
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