Mia Montgomery intended for her online store to sell children’s clothes on consignment, but when the coronavirus pandemic began, she pivoted to a different business model.

After starting Bianca + Jean in October of 2020, the Hyattsville entrepreneur switched to selling hand-sewn face masks in January. They now make up 95 percent of her sales, followed by hair accessories and market bags.

“The need for fashionable, well made, reusable, and comfortable masks really took off when I posted images of myself wearing the masks,” she told the Hyattsville Wire. “With time I added other products that were sustainable, and that I thought other families would enjoy too.”

While she makes the masks herself, Montgomery works with a group of mothers in Bangladesh to make the market bags and sells other products from mother-owned brands. She hopes to expand her product line and add others to the online store too.

Eventually, Montgomery said she wants to open a physical store where she would sell her own products and host events.

In the meantime, you can buy Bianca + Jean, named for her daughters’ middle names, through her online store, at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center and the Riversdale and Palisades farmers markets. You can also check out her store on Instagram.

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