By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
From college beauty queen to a mother of two to founder and CEO of Swaddle Bar, a Black-owned children’s brand based in Birmingham that’s equal parts comfort, community, and purpose, Kendra Lyas carries many titles under her belt. And it’s all because of another title that she embraces.
“I’m a hard worker, but I know that my success comes from God,” said Lyas.
Founded in 2024, it took just 10 months for her Swaddle Bar brand to secure placement in 50 stores across the country and earn a finalist spot on “Oprah’s Favorite Things” 2024.
“It [Swaddle Bar] is a women-led philanthropy company,” Lyas said. “We have a team of seven ladies. And we have put together a collection of products. The profits go towards a ministry called Mwana Village It is in Congo, West Africa.”
Her product line includes soft swaddles, waffle-knit robes, ponchos, and plush towels,
With 50-plus retail placements, a soon-to-launch Amazon store, and a commitment to Mwana Villages, a nonprofit that supports orphans in the Republic of Congo, Lyas is proving just how much of a hard worker she is.
“I have never been to Africa … But I have a friend, she’s the executive director from Mwana Village and her name is Wellen Bridgers. I know her personally, I know that whenever Swaddlebar donates proceeds to them, that the money is going directly to those children,” Lyas said. “I just view this company as a huge opportunity for not only Moana, but for other organizations that we partner with to really reap the benefit of retail sales.”
Miss Alabama A&M
Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Lyas, 47, attended Fairfield High School where she graduated in 1996 as valedictorian and then enrolled at Alabama A&M University where she was pre-med/biology with a chemistry minor.
While at A&M, Kendra, who was Miss AAMU in 1999-2000, also studied Spanish Culture and Civilization abroad at Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain.
“I remember driving around campus a freshman and thinking like, ‘hmm, that’d be great to be Miss Alabama A&M one day. it was a dream that I knew that I might one day act on,” said Lyas.
At one time, Lyas said she wanted to be a doctor.
“I went to Yale University for a summer [between 1995 and 1996] worked with some cadaver, and realized, that I didn’t want to be in a clinical environment all day, every day, and started looking into some other options,” she said. “But after doing all that summer programs, I’ve realized that, you know, it was I was not built for the hospital all day.”
The Pharmaceutical Path
After graduating in 2000, Lyas worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative for 15 years after meeting another African American female rep.
”There were not many Black women in pharmaceuticals,” Lyas said. “I only knew her and maybe one other. She just showed me what she did, and it resonated with me because I was going to be able to use my science to read the clinical studies and figure out how certain medications were going to help patients.”
Lyas remembers the pharmaceutical path being tough. “They usually don’t hire people straight out of college… The interview process was grueling,” she said. “I got hired before switching to another company and worked with them for nine years.”
Stepping back from that role felt like, “the road less traveled, “she said. Lyas decided to quit pharmaceutical sales in 2012 to become a stay-at-home mom.
“I looked at my priorities and said, ‘what’s more important that? I get one shot at raising these children,’”
While raising her children Lyas said she rediscovered her love for sewing which led to her first company The Paisley Pea, a baby and maternity brand in 2014.
“I ran that business for five years and it was pre-pandemic. When the pandemic rolled around, I was trying to decide what direction we were going to go in and decided to accept an offer for the sale of the company … [But] I couldn’t shake the wanting to give back,” she said. “And I know that business is a great way to do that. So you can call me a social entrepreneur. Someone who’s an entrepreneur for the benefit of the community.”
Grandma’s Hands
Sewing was something she picked up from her grandmother, Lyas said.
“I learned about sewing by watching her and I loved it,” she said adding, “when my kids would be taking nap, I would pull out my machine and make things for them.”
Her hard-working demeanor was something instilled in her from a young age, Lyas said. “My parents always encouraged me and my brother. I feel that it was always a part of us that you better get the best grades. I feel like I’m self-motivated and that probably helped them in their parenting, because they just needed to tell me one time.”
Maintaining her varies roles is “much easier now because my first company, I had it when my kids were little. And so now that they’re bigger, oh, it’s so much easier because they have their own life.”
Her daughter is now a rising sophomore at the University of Southern California where she is a presidential scholar and a son who’s a rising sophomore at Vestavia Hills High School.”
To explore Swaddle Bar products or learn more about the brand, visit www.swaddlebar.com
