From ABC15 Investigative reporter to Good Morning America; How a Valley mom invented a smart sock solution that is now being sold at Target.
She's a familiar face here in the Valley of the Sun, Abbie Boudreau was part of the ABC15 investigative team in the early 2000s before making the massive leap to Good Morning America.
Now the three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and Edward R Murrow winner is running a sensory-friendly sock company for children called Sockabu.
"Sockabu socks are more than just a sock. This is the only sock on the planet where you can have your toes uncovered or you can flip the top of the sock and cover your toes to keep them cozy," said Boudreau.
Boudreau, a mother of two, tells ABC15 she came up with the idea when her son was a baby; he's now 9 years old.
Back then, he kept ripping off his little socks, so she cut the tops off his socks and he loved it!
"I wondered why and then I realized he was trying to get to his toes! He wanted to play! Then, I sewed on a piece of fabric so that his little toes could be covered for nap time," added Boudreau.
Months later, when he started walking, she realized her flip sock could become something big.
"That's when he had his traditional socks on and he was slipping around our little wood floors, on the tile and I thought, where are those little flip socks I made?" said Boudreau.
"He put them on and all of a sudden he could spread those toes. He had a great grip and I thought, oh my gosh this could be a product! This could be a safer sock for babies and toddlers learning to walk."
And that's what captured the interest of some major retailers. But getting Sockabu to market was challenging.
"I couldn't figure out how to get my socks beyond the prototype stage. I questioned everything. That's when I found the Manufacturing Solutions Center in North Carolina. They understood how to approach my vision. I worked with their team of amazing experts, engineers and professional knitters. I don't think that I could have made this happen without them," said Boudreau.
But she did make it happen!
"Target is selling Sockabu early-walker socks for babies, and sensory-friendly socks for toddlers who are irritated by sock seams," said Boudreau.
She also says, "Tagless shirts for kids are an example of sensory-friendly clothing. Sockabu socks are also sensory-friendly because they are totally seamless."
Boudreau also shares, "Being part of the Target family is really a dream come true for me."
