Sporty-B’s donates garment bags for Rabbit Fest Royalty

Friday nights in the fall for some is all about football games, the band marching, Copperettes dancing and the cheerleading squads pumping up the crowds. However, for BJ Callaway of Sporty- B’s Gift Expressions it’s a fashion show with much of the stadium wearing the unique bling she helps design and create. “My dream of designing shirts started when I was visiting a dance competition with my daughter who was on the Copperettes dance team,” said Callaway. “I picked up a plain white shirt and it sold for $25. In 2007 that was a lot of money for a shirt. I thought then if a white one can sell for this much, imagine what a blinged out one could go for.” Saving for five years, Callaway bought her first heat transfer press and began designing shirts for students to wear to help promote her line while working out of her home. “My faith is what has gotten me here today,” said Callaway. “My family is big on prayer and believing for something and we jumped into it feet first and have had huge successes.” Moving from the garage workspace, Sporty- B’s outgrew the 400 sq. foot office space along Business 190 before moving upstairs to occupy triple the real estate and it wasn’t long before the budding business outgrew that storefront. Tasked with finding a new location Sporty B’s has settled into three suites along South Main  treet where her parent company, Gift Expressions, had its beginnings. “Our shirts really took off one year right in the middle of football season,” said Callaway. “I was in the middle of homecoming week, I was making football jerseys for all the parents and I was making custom designs that were selling faster than I could make them, it was amazing. I go to football games now and it’s like watching a fashion show of all our hard work.” “I have always been a vendor at Rabbit Fest and when the pageant returned last year I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of,” she said. With its return, Callaway and her staff designed a glitter filled shirt for the royalty to wear when not in their gowns. With the new pageant a few weeks away, she stepped up once again donating garment bags and sash holders for the royalty as part of the prize package that is well over $200. “I really did my research on these bags for the girls,” she said. “I wanted to provide them with something that will not only keep their beautiful dresses nice but will help protect them from the rain and the sun when they attend.” Sporty B’s joins Hamm’s Institute of Martial Arts joins, GymKix Manning Homes, Bill French Jewelers, the Leader-Press and Crafty Guys in sponsoring the return of the Rabbit Fest Beauty Pageant following an 18-year absence from the annual festival, set for May 14-17 in the Copperas Cove City Park. “This pageant is successful because of what Wendy Sledd has done with it and these girls who were selected to represent Copperas Cove,” said Callaway. “I knew just by talking with her last year that this was going to be successful and providing shirts and bags is our way of helping out. Each year this thing is going to get bigger and better and the youth of our community are the ones who benefit from our support. They represent Copperas Cove and our businesses should support them.” Competition for the pageant will be at Fester’s House stage in City Park with the baby competition beginning at 1 p.m. More than 75 gathered at the stage Sunday for a rehearsal and walk-through of the pageant, and 90 are registered across 17 divisions. “It brings great pride to look back over this year and see all the accomplishments that the royalty has done,” she said. “I started this business out of my home and it has grown and now I am able to give back to the community that has helped support me and my staff.”