When an arson attack caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to a Dimples store last year, there was a brief moment when it all felt too much for founder Jane McAllister. But the woman who raised 14 children while building a beloved baby boutique is no stranger to hard work and resilience.
“It’s been a tough time and for a split second there, I did think, ‘Maybe we just stop,’” admits Jane, 68, who was in the UK when she got the call from the store’s security firm on September 21, 2025, to report flames coming from it.
Seven fire trucks attended the blaze. It was one of two buildings set alight in the area by a serial arsonist, who this March was sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment.
Talking about her decision to keep going, Jane says, “I know if you’re determined enough, and you’ve got the drive and positivity, then anything is achievable.”
And she was right. This June, the reopening of Dimples’ flagship Newmarket store marks the beginning of a new chapter for the brand – and for Jane.
Loving her big family
She’s now a grandmother of 30, has taught herself photography and painting, and is living her dream lifestyle on a stunning Muriwai Valley property. It’s given her the space to take a small step back from the intensive running of the business while still leading its creative direction.
“I don’t have to go into the office every day now,” Jane explains.
“I still do all the clothes designing, the photography and make the big decisions. I’m always thinking of ideas – that’s what I love most.”
But her fondest memories will forever be raising her 14 babies.
“Everything about me has been birth, children, breastfeeding and babies. That’s just been my life – and in between that, the business.”
A life built around motherhood
Jane was just shy of 16 when she had her first baby, going on to have 13 more over 28 years.
“I loved being pregnant, I liked making clothes for the babies, I liked having the baby, just everything about it was just so me,” she enthuses.
She didn’t plan to have so many children, but Jane adored motherhood so much, and her husband of 53 years, Sam, was always supportive.
“I basically stopped when I couldn’t have any more,” tells Jane, who was 44 when her youngest was born.
Of course, large family living wasn’t always idyllic. Dealing with children at different stages, ranging from babies to teenagers, required constant adjusting – and then there was the sheer volume of laundry.
“The amount of work washing clothes was just unbelievable,” she laughs.
Building her business
And in the middle of it all, she was quietly building the business. Jane remembers the days when Dimples was just her hand-embroidering baby hats at the kitchen table.
Jane recalls, “I’d go around shops to see if anybody would buy them. Eventually, somebody did and it grew from there.”
While Jane left school at 15 and has mastered how to navigate life with dyslexia, a neurodevelopmental learning difference, she has always had high ambitions.
She enthuses, “I definitely believe that you can do anything you really, really want to do. If you’re determined to do it, you’ll learn it, you’ll do it. “When you’re dyslexic, you think slightly differently, but there’s always a solution to the problem – you’ve just got to look at it differently.”
Growing a Kiwi icon
Now Dimples is one of New Zealand’s most recognised baby brands, with a second store in Christchurch and available at selected other retailers. Over the past 24 years, many of her children have worked alongside her at different times, with her eldest daughter, Felicity, 49, a near-constant. Felicity joined the business while pregnant with her first child. At the same time, Jane was expecting her second to youngest.
“Felicity has been an absolute brick in the business,” says Jane.
“We were having babies together, helping each other and running the business. They were fantastic times and great memories.”
Whats next for Jane
Today, Felicity still remains deeply involved. She also lives with her husband Ben on the 3.6-hectare property Jane and Sam moved to in 2022. The land has become a gathering place for the whole family, where the many grandchildren can run through the open spaces, ride Jane’s horses and experience the simple joys of country life.
“I just like having my family around. I really do,” she smiles.
As for the future, Jane says her aim is to live in the present – “I try to enjoy the day I’m in because that’s all you’ve got guaranteed” – but there are a few dreams left to realise too.
“I’d like to open some more shops,” she declares.
“And I still feel up for the challenge to do more.”
