Made by Mom Gift Guide: Pickle Mamas

Not satisfied with the flimsy hula hoops that you find at toy stores, Meghan Kerr and Grayson Hampson spent lots of time researching and, eventually, fine tuning the craft of hula hoop making.

Posted 1:45 a.m. Dec 8, 2015 — Updated 4:42 p.m. Dec 8, 2015

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Not satisfied with the flimsy hula hoops that you find at toy stores, Meghan Kerr and Grayson Hampson spent lots of time researching and, eventually, fine tuning the craft of hula hoop making.

The two were spending a lot of time hooping as they followed the band Phish, selling pickles and other items and keeping busy with their hula hoops.

That was 15 years ago. Today, Hampson and Kerr, both moms, are still hula hooping, along with Angela Duke. Together, they make up the Pickle Mamas. The Pickle Mamas' handmade hoops are featured in our Made by Mom Gift Guide presented by Midwifery at Women's Health Alliance.

In addition to performing at local festivals and offering all sorts of other products and services, the three also sell handmade hula hoops and offer hula hoop-making birthday parties.

"It totally found us," said Hampson when I featured the group earlier this fall. "This whole thing found us."

The group works to spread the word that hooping isn't just for kids. The practice is a great exercise to tone the body and improve coordination. Plus, it's fun!

Hoops come in adult and kid sizes with an option to make them collapsible for easier storage. They're made with a kind of fabric tape that allows the hoop to better grip clothes and skin and prevents it from slipping to the ground. They sell for between $23 and $38 on the group's Etsy page.

Pickle Mamas' website has more information.

And if you're looking for an opportunity to relax and renew this holiday season, check out Hampson and Kerr's Receive, Relax, Renew, Restorative Yoga Workshop at Celestine Studios in Raleigh from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Dec. 19. It's $30 in advance and $40 at the door. Students will move through a series of supportive and calming poses. At the end, they'll enjoy an organic herbal caffeine free tea made by Kerr and Hampson.

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