Naperville Entrepreneur Leaves Her Mark On Everything She Does

When Cinnamon Bergeron of Naperville started her family nine years ago, little did she know that some of the gifts she received would change her life and inspire her to fulfill a dream she has had since she was a young girl.

On June 1, 2010, Bergeron’s dream came true with the grand opening of her store Monogram Madness, a Naperville boutique specializing in personalized, embroidered items.

“When I first had children, I got monogrammed baby gifts that I thought were very special,” Bergeron said. “Because I considered these personalized gifts so special, I found myself buying monogrammed gifts for others. I would go way out of my way to get something monogrammed.”

After several years of shopping around and dozens of purchases made over the Internet from specialty stores in other states, Bergeron’s desire to find unique, personalized gifts locally led her to try her hand at capitalism.

She felt there was a need for a business that specialized in monogramming "cute" products, she said. “That’s where comes in — we are in the business of being cute.”

Armed with a degree in business management from Illinois State University and her supportive husband, Jeff, Bergeron came up with a business model for her venture into small business ownership.

“We decided I should start off working from home,” she said. “For three to four years I worked out of the house and sold my products at craft fairs and online."

Bergeron said that once the time was right, they began their search for “something that was affordable, that I liked and not in the middle of nowhere.”

The couples' search paid off with landing at 190 E. 5th Ave., No. 7, in downtown Naperville.

Bergeron admits that prior to the launch of , she had no previous retail experience and was not very good at “accounting-type things.”

Her inexperience did not deter her, however.

“My dad was an entrepreneur,” she said. “I think I’ve always known that one day I would have my own business.”

After opening her doors just more than one year ago, business has been steady, and Bergeron has expanded ’ offerings with the help of some friends who also specialize in “cute” items such as jewelry, accessories, bags, baby gifts, stationery and much more.

“I thought, ‘Why not invite some of my friends who also specialize in unique, one-of-a-kind items to sell their products at my store?’ ” Bergeron said. “And by working with these very talented women, we are able to keep it local and support local woman-owned businesses.”

Bergeron said her biggest-selling items are personalized duffel bags for children.

“Along with the duffel bags, we also sell a lot of cute stuff for boys and girls,” she said.

The store has received many orders for special occasion items such as gifts for bridesmaids and even one order for matching pajamas for a family. It goes without saying that the monogram store is able to personalize items people bring in such as pillows, shams and bath towels.

"You name it and we can do it,” she said.

With the holidays just around the corner, Bergeron hopes to see her business grow.

“Last year the holiday season was very good for us, and we hope to have that same type of success again this year,” she said.