Fall River Entrepreneur Designs Blanket to Bring Warmth to Disabled Community
Kelsey Teixeira of Fall River has always been an entrepreneur and fashion creator, but the 21-year-old never expected her designs would bring comfort and joy to the physically disabled. Her latest venture has given her a sense of fulfillment in her growing side business.
“At the age of eight, I was making and selling jewelry, making hair bows, making Christmas ornaments…I’ve always had a business mindset,” Teixeira said. She began “Komfy Kozies by Kelsey” as a fun hobby while she paid the bills being a respiratory therapist, but in 2018, the brand took off after one phone call.
Last year, we told you how Teixeira created special blankets for car seats.
“I was making blankets, and my neighbor reached out who has a daughter with cerebral palsy. She asked me to make her something special because her daughter couldn’t keep a hold of her blanket while in her car seat,” she explained.
She taught herself how to sew, and now she's expanding that design to help a wider audience.
“I started adult ponchos at the end of last year when I camped out for the Playstation 5, I wore one,” said Teixeira. It got some attention, not just from other adults, but from the cerebral palsy community.
Teixeira’s neighbor put her in a Facebook group dedicated to families dealing with cerebral palsy and found that there was a high demand for blankets for physically disabled individuals.
“Their extremities tend to get cold because of circulation struggles,” Teixeira said. “The adult poncho allows them to stay warm and allows them to wear it in their adaptive cars.”
Teixeira sent out her very first order catered to a physically disabled adult last week, and when they sent her photos, she got extremely emotional.
“This started out as something so small. I never thought I would be able to help out the special needs community in this way,” she said.
Teixeira simply followed her entrepreneurial spirit and it resulted in something bigger than herself. To some, it may just be a blanket, but to others, it means a more comfortable way of life.