When two Los Gatos friends combined their ideas and skills to invent something that solved an annoying problem in their lives, they hardly expected it would balloon into a successful and profitable company.

Claire Ekelund and her good friend Aimee Lagos were tired of having to leave the room while breastfeeding their young children, lest they accidentally expose themselves or make those nearby feel uncomfortable.

Both pregnant with their second child and still nursing their first, Lagos and Ekelund had become friends because their husbands played soccer together for the San Jose Earthquakes. Afternoons, they often enjoyed meeting for a snack at the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Co. One day they found themselves sharing woes over how difficult it could be around others when they were out in town, or even entertaining friends at home, and needed to feed their young ones.

"We both agreed it was not optimal to flash people in public," jokes Ekelund. "The choice is either to leave the room or to expose yourself."

So, the two women put their heads together--and their sewing machines--to invent a solution. What they came up with was a practical yet stylish nursing cover that could hook around the neck and completely shield the breast and the baby from view. But it had an opening at the top that allowed moms to easily look down and see their babies. They also added a handy pocket in one corner made of terry cloth that can double as both a wipe cloth and a place to store breast pads.

The two women chose some of their favorite fabrics, patterns and designs and, after making some for themselves, began fashioning them for friends and family.

"So many people were so complimentary," says Ekelund. "There are many nursing covers out there, but we feel the difference with ours is that they're stylish. Many out there are pretty darn ugly."

Ekelund's husband, Ronnie, agrees that it's nice for mothers to get a chance to use something that shows off their style for a change--since they are the ones to wear this cover and not the babies--rather than always being surrounded by baby designs.

"You won't see any teddy bears on these," he says.

"It's time Mom got a little something as well," Claire agrees.

After a while, as they saw how much everyone loved the nursing covers, they began getting encouragement from their husbands and friends to take their new invention to the next level--they could form their own company.

That's exactly what they did--and Hooter Hiders was born.

"People get a giggle out of the name," says Ekelund. "We decided we were going to be a website company in the beginning."

Ekelund says they brought in a team of Web designers to create their website for them, and they launched HooterHiders.com around last summer. As orders trickled in, the two women sewed the Hooter Hiders themselves--until the orders increased to much more than just a trickle.

"Within one month, it was too much," says Ekelund.

In just a short time, Hooter Hiders had been written up in the UrbanBaby.com newsletter, which lets mothers know about products and gives advice. The website voted them one of the best-reviewed products of 2004. Around the same time, they were also featured in Pregnancy magazine.

At that point, the women had to hire a seamstress to help fill orders. They also started to get requests from retail stores.

"People were asking if we could do wholesale," says Ekelund.

By December, Hooter Hiders were featured in more than 30 shops. They are now also carried in stores in seven other states, and international retailers are starting to jump on board as well.

"We now have two reps who travel the country for us," says Ekelund. "It's great--we get a lot of [repeat customers] and a lot of support and feedback through the website."

Ekelund says it is exciting to go to a baby shower and, when it gets time to open the Hooter Hider gift she brought the mother, to hear her say, "This is the one I've been waiting for!"

Ekelund and her husband are originally from Europe and moved to the United States about four years ago so that her husband, who has been a professional soccer player for 10 years, could play for the Earthquakes. For his soccer career, the couple has moved around a lot, having lived in the south of France, Denmark, England and Spain. Ronnie has just recently ended his stint with the Earthquakes and is helping out with Hooter Hiders while he considers his next career move. He is also doing a bit of youth and private coaching.

"If I wanted to keep playing with the Earthquakes, we'd have to move back to Europe, and we're just too happy here," he says. "We wanted to feel settled, and soccer keeps us moving a lot."

"This is where we feel at home," Claire agrees.

The Lagos family recently left Los Gatos and moved to Ohio, but both women remain active partners in Hooter Hiders.

As for any immediate goals for the Hooter Hiders company, the two women say they are just focusing on continual growth for the time being.

"I would say just to keep expanding, getting new stores. The main thing is just to let people know the product is out there," says Ekelund. "So many people are surprised it has never been done before, something that is both practical and stylish."

Ekelund says while Hooter Hiders has become fairly profitable, she still looks forward to someday being in a position to rely on its income comfortably.

"It's not quite supporting both families yet; we have to re-invest a lot of the money back into the company for materials and expansion, etc.," she says. "But we're still growing."

For more information, to place orders or to see a list of retailers, visit www.hooterhiders.com.