Who is the Cloth Diaper Whisperer? A personal look.

You might have asked just who is this "Cloth Diaper Whisperer"? My name is Kelly Wels and I am the owner of Diaper Shops and run 4 online cloth diaper speciality stores.

I grew up in Maine most of my life since I was 6. My parents had a camp in Maine and moved from New York in the early 80's. I come from a very hard working family. My Dad owned his own landscaping business and from a very young age I had great work ethics. I graduated from a small high school in Bethel, ME as a member of the National Honor Society, ski team, and cross-country running team.

I attended colleges in both Maine and Florida and after changing majors a couple of times decided to get my degree in horticulture. I am licensed by the state as a Maine Certified Nursery-person and my official title in the non-cloth diapering world is Kelly Wels, MCN. I worked as a manager a nursery (plant nursery not a child nursery!) for several years and then worked as a sales representative for a bulb company based out of Holland.

After I had my first child, Olivia, in 1997 I decided that I wanted to stay at home with her. After my second child, Hanz, was born in 2000 I felt the need to contribute to the family income. In 2000, the idea of Kelly's Closet was born, and I launched the site on April 1st, 2001. I didn't even sell cloth diapers. I started selling boutique style baby clothing and it was a major flop!

After a few months with no sales I almost threw in the towel. When a couple of Moms emailed me asking if I could get cloth diapers as one of the clothing brands I carried also made cloth diapers, I honestly thought, "This is a joke- no one uses cloth diapers anymore." I did decide to order a few and within days they sold....and as they say-"The rest is history."

I now have 3 beautiful kids (Olivia, Hanz, & Riley) and a wonderful husband Scott and live in a 1794 farm-house at the top of hill in a small New England town called Waterford. It is a summer village and many people come here to vacation. In the winter the population dwindles to under 1500 as the snow keeps people away (see the picture of my house to the left last November before it "really" snowed). Last year I had snow that went over the top of my kitchen window!

What do I like to do in my spare time? I like to scrap book, love stamping cards, and gardening. I have to make a point of getting off the computer as I tend to over-work a lot! My goal this year is to spend more quality time with my kids. I am involved with our church and am starting to help out with our church's food pantry and a program called Waterford Santa. This program helps needy families in Waterford with gifts for children at Christmas.

Our family loves to have fun and we never act our age! Halloween this year was no exception. This year we all dressed like Candy! (see picture right) Olivia was Candy Corn, Hanz was Junior Mints, Riley was a Tootsie Roll, Scott was a Sugar Daddy, and I was a Reese's PB Cup! We went to the kids school Halloween party and had a blast!

I wouldn't change my life for anything. I have a wonderful family I love and adore, a home in a beautiful town, and a prospering business to the thanks of my customers.

I thank God everyday for the many blessings in my life!