About Us
The Twinkle Toes Story
For as long as she can remember, Lisa was dreaming up things she could make to sell. Her mom taught her to sew at age 8, and she quickly turned that skill into a small business, creating madras headbands with elastic backs and selling them at the local Clothing Exchange. She even saved enough to buy her first brand new bike. Over the years, she explored art, woodworking, blacksmithing, and photography, eventually starting her own Sign Painting and Logo Design business after college in New Hampshire.
In 1982, adventure called and Lisa moved to Alaska with an invitation to become “Camp Cook & Log Peeler” for the construction of a remote log cabin. When that project was complete, she ventured up to the North Slope and got a job at the Deadhorse Post Office. There she met her future husband, who instantly nicknamed her Twinkle Toes. She resumed her “Sure Signs” business on the side and kept that up until having her first daughter, Emma, at which time she put her business on hold to focus on being a mom.
When Emma was about 6 months old, Lisa got tired of picking up socks and booties that wouldn’t stay on. She created a simple solution using elastic to keep them in place, and it worked so well that friends and family started asking for their own. Soon she was making pairs in all sizes, and a new business was born.
As her second daughter, Heather, joined the family, Lisa continued creating pieces to keep everyone warm during outdoor adventures like camping, fishing, and sled dog racing. This led to new designs including the popular Star Hats and colorful fleece pullovers. What started for kids quickly expanded into adult styles, and the Wild Outer Wear name was introduced for her clothing line.
Her daughters are now adults and still inspire new designs. There’s nothing more gratifying to Lisa than seeing her first granddaughter, Hadlee, and her generation, enjoying the designs she created for her children. Everything is still made right here at her shop in a restored Colony Barn looking out on Pioneer Peak in the beautiful Matanuska-Susitna Valley. She loves seeing the smiles on customers’ faces when they slip into their first pair, and then getting to know the families as they return year after year!
Today, Twinkle Toes & Wild Outerwear continues to grow from the same place it started: a love for making something useful, cozy, and made to last. From handmade slipper socks to fleece clothing, Star Hats, and Alaska-made outerwear, every piece carries a little bit of Lisa’s story, her family, and life here in Palmer, Alaska. What began as one mom’s solution has become a trusted source for cold-weather comfort for babies, kids, women, and men across Alaska and beyond.
