NEW ORLEANS – When Gena Mckenzie recently retired from her job as a certified registered nurse anesthetist, she decided to finally pursue an entrepreneurial idea she’d had a while back.
“Years ago, a friend of mine and I were watching a Saints game and throwing around ideas [for Saints-inspired merchandise],” she said. “I wondered why no one had used ‘Who’s Your Datty.’ It was more talk than anything because I stayed busy working and raising my son.”
Mckenzie acquired a copyright for the idea but never took the project any further — until this year. She finally produced her first design based on her own artwork and checked to make sure that no one had trademarked the idea before she wore her new shirt for the first time. Now she’s up and running and trying to get her apparel business off the ground.
“We have T-shirts, beanies, baseball caps, yellow flags and are introducing new items weekly,” she said. “I want this to be a company based on everything New Orleans. For me living here is more a state of mind. I breathe easier when I enter Orleans parish. My soul is at home in this city.”
Mckenzie said the biggest challenge for her is “just doing it. I am sure many people have great ideas but, like myself, they hesitate. I enjoy the creative side but honestly have little patience for the details.”
Her best moment so far: before the last Saints game, she handed out hundreds of “Who’s Your Date” buttons to people in the crowd.
“On the way out of the game I saw the buttons on T-shirts, jackets, etc. It made me smile to see those buttons, with my little crown and logo, on so many people.”
For more information, visit whosyourdatty.com.
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