DAWN QUINN - Designer, Owner  
It was at a young age that she first started to direct her life by what she has always referred to as “God’s whispers”…His direction for her life.

As she grew older she found that she had a “talent” for creating and designing. While college could offer a chance to excel in design classes, she instead took what her parents thought was a more “promising” career path as a dental hygienist. While successful in her new career, her “passion” for designing never wavered and she continued her education and achieved her degree in design. In 1990 she decided to start On Q Designs. This part time business allowed her to begin decorating and designing dental offices, businesses, and homes.

Throughout her life, as the mother of three children, Dawn also began to design and make Special Christmas Stockings as gifts for her children’s teachers, friends, and even some fundraising events. The great reception her Stocking Designs always received, and the positive encouragement to “make them for others,” planted a seed early on that someday maybe this is what she would do. A dream was born.

In 2004, her world was changed forever when her husband, a successful 49-year old CEO, had a massive stroke that resulted in a condition known as Aphasia. Everyday, more than 200 people survive a stroke that results in Aphasia. It impairs a person’s ability to use language in everyday interactions: talking, understanding, reading, and writing.

Like millions of others, Dawn and her family had never heard of Aphasia. She couldn’t believe how many families, like hers, were being affected by this condition every day. She began to read everything she could . . .and after the doctors told her that more people need to be educated about this and all health related issues, she had an idea……or maybe it was a whisper. This life-altering experience affected her entire family and inspired her on that day to turn her talents into someday developing a business that would accomplish two things.

First, she would affiliate herself with as many charitable partners as she could in order to help by making people aware of these causes. Second, she would design a Charity Christmas Stocking, with each particular cause in mind, and donate a portion of the proceeds to these “Causal” Partners. Her slogan would be, "Profit for a Purpose".

Her someday would come sooner than she expected, but not without a lot of people, including friends and family…. laughing and making fun of the “dreamer”, the “stocking lady” and the self proclaimed “awareness” advocate. Still her determination never wavered and whenever she spoke about her stockings and her dream it was her “passion” that allowed the words to flow so freely from her mouth.

In 2005, a chance encounter with a co-worker, who was a breast cancer survivor, inspired her to gift this friend with her first Breast Cancer Christmas Stocking design. Once again she was up-close and personal with “another” cause she knew little about.

A real turning point and moment of decision for her came one cold evening in the winter of 2006, while sitting at dinner with a friend. She began to share her business idea, designs and reasons why she was ready to “risk it all” to make it a reality. The business plan for Once Upon a Stocking and "Profit for a Purpose" was officially launched that evening.The first step was to approach and bring on many 'causal' affiliates and charitable partners. Not an easy task for a brand new company. Dawn’s biggest dream that night was to approach and partner with "Susan G Komen for the Cure". Once Upon a Stocking was awarded a National Sponsor status and her beautiful pink and white, Co-Survivor pearl series Christmas Stocking is their official design.

Choosing to stay in America, her manufacturing company, Once Upon a Stocking, was launched in March of 2007 in a 5000 square foot log cabin facility located in the Appalachian foothills of Eastern Kentucky. An area that had lost many “sewing”
jobs to the overseas markets. Her incredibly talented employees have literally hundreds of years of sewing expertise.

She expects to one day employ as many as 40 workers. I don’t doubt that this dedicated mother of three, with a never ending supply of adrenaline, will make that dream a reality too.

Christmas is recognized as the season of hope, she said. I would like to make the ordinary Holiday Christmas Stocking my new symbol of HOPE. ”My staff and I create these Special Christmas Stockings with the hope that we are doing our part in helping to find the cure for many of these diseases in the world. . .” Resourceful, dedicated, passionate and determined, she has just begun to raise “awareness” to the many causes so close to her heart.