MILAN — Barbara Costello, aka Brunch With Babs, had been a retired pre-school teacher for five years, when her daughter Elizabeth Ariola started posting her recipes on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Driven by the natural human desire for a grandmother no matter what age, she rose to the fore with her unique content: Babs gives stellar advice on how to get kids engaged in Halloween games, how to make a house look and smell like Christmas, easy recipes for big families — not to mention her occasional “Slice of Peace” posts that lull the soul with Mr. Rogers-like flair. The Chicago native, who will be 76 in November, is leading a wave of Baby Boomer influencers flooding social media with wholesome content.
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Five years later, the mother of four and grandmother of nine now has accumulated followers at the rate of, dare we say, a Kardashian — with nearly 8 million across both TikTok and Instagram platforms
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This month she became Wayfair-owned, Boston-based home decor brand Birch Lane’s first brand ambassador. For the occasion, Babs launched Babs x Birch Lane, a collection of 50 of her favorite Birch Lane items of furniture and decor that ranges from the Rosalie extendable dining table to cabbage-shaped dinner plates and even a simple transitional holiday wreath for $124.
According to data insights firm Launchmetrics, @brunchwithbabs is a winning collaboration. As an influencer Costello generates a media impact value of $70,900 per placement on TikTok.
Often referred to as “everyone’s favorite grandma,” Babs’ online family is growing by the minute. What is it that makes her so special? For starters, her realness and her warmth that’s like a “comfort blanket,” entertainment agency R&CPMK’s New York-based senior vice president, talent and influence Lauren Stillman said in an interview with WWD.
“I think the rise of mature influencers like Babs follows our continued appetite for authenticity. Influencers like Babs are unashamedly themselves and in a world of hyper-filtered and tuned young stars. For many people scrolling their feeds, this type of content is more relatable and endearing…which is especially reassuring with so much turmoil in the world,” Stillman added, noting content producers like Babs provide a much-needed escape.
Here, WWD talks with Babs about her secrets to building an audience, making deals and still finding time for family.
WWD: Babs, your popularity grew exponentially before inking your first ambassadorship with Birch Lane. Have there been others? Have you had to say no a lot?
Barbara Costello: Well, praise God, we do get a lot of requests, which is a blessing. But we would say no to most ambassadorships because it’s such a bigger thing. It has to resonate with who I am and my vision. It has to be something I’m sold on…something that I would promote whether I had a following or not, maybe just over my backyard fence with my neighbor. You have to have that connection for it to be real.
WWD: How did you decide Birch Lane was the right one for your collection curated with existing Birch Lane products? And how have you said no to the others?
B.C.: They also have the most beautiful classic pieces. Their motto is “Classic Style for Joyful Living” and it’s so true. For instance, I have had Portmeirion [English pottery] for over 30 years. I use my Portmeirion dishes every day of the week. They carry Portmerian. I use the Spode [tableware] Christmas pattern the day after Thanksgiving. They have Spode Christmas china. There are many crossovers between Brunch With Babs and Birch Lane.
WWD: How did you approach the making-of for the first time and the business partnership?
B.C.: This took many, many meetings over months. And we did start out with the mood board, with what resonated with me and what direction we were going in. And so that all had to be established before these pieces were being produced for my collection. So it’s a separate collection for Brunch With Babs. The pieces are gorgeous. I would say if you’re 25 and just starting out with your first home, or if you’re 70 and you’re tired of your look — it spans the whole gamut.
WWD: Birch Lane general manager Taylor Fitzpatrick said you represent tradition, celebration and togetherness. And your strengths are very much in the way you make things beautiful for your own family. What do you think your success is?
B.C.: It has to do with starting at that time [COVID-19 pandemic] when people were missing family and missing a personal connection with people. And then here’s this everyday lady acting like life is normal and it’s going to be okay and making a simple chicken and potatoes dish. I think it’s truly that family connection, that person-to-person, which [in this case] I think they feel with this mom/grandma figure, you know?
WWD: Your husband Bill Costello has taken the role of Mr. Babs. He doesn’t mind being filmed all the time?
B.C.: He loves it.
WWD: Like you, he is great on camera. Why is that? How did you convince him?
B.C.: We are both babies of our families. Bill is the baby in a family of eight children. So we are both used to being entertainers. I have to tell you the story. We were in Long Island, and we were at a winery in Long Island. Two girls came up and asked: “Do you mind, Babs, if we take a picture with just Mister Babs first?”
WWD: How did you come up with the name Brunch With Babs?
B.C.: A brunch evokes…let’s sit back, relax over a mimosa and talk about life. So it’s not just food, even though food is the mainstay, but it’s also hacks. It’s also Slice of Peace. It’s lifestyle, it’s family, it’s travel. It’s so much more. So I think because we went to brunch, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities.
WWD: You now have your second book coming out, “Every Day With Babs,” on April 8 with recipes and meal planning tips for busy parents. You are in the midst of a remodel of your new, New England home built in 1830 — The Basket House — and film all the time. It’s a lot. How much time do you actually dedicate to work?
B.C.: There’s so many things that you could do during the day that lead you back to your platform. You know, whether you’re out and about, you’re thinking, that’s a great idea. I want to share that, right?
Or you come across a recipe and say, “We’re gonna, we’re gonna tweak this a little bit and bring it up a notch and we’re gonna share.” I think the creative juices are flowing like 24/7 but obviously there’s time when we have to be together and shoot and so it could be more than three days a week, and I’m talking about three full days sometimes. I’m a high energy person and I’ve come to embrace this whole community, this new path.
WWD: You mention the term “grand-influencer.” How would you describe that?
B.C.: I was referred to that for the first time like a couple of years ago, so I guess I check all the boxes. I’m a mother, I am older, I’m a grand and I happen to be an influencer now.
WWD: You’ve really paved the way for other grand-influencers out there like I Love My Nonni and Real Nonna Gracie and many more. You’ve also paved the way for more wholesome content on social media overall.
B.C.: It’s nice to have kicked open that door. It’s a really good sign in a way because of that genuine mother, grandmother image. I didn’t have an agenda, you know, and people sense that.
WWD: How did being a pre-school teacher prepare you for this?
B.C.: It’s all about field trips and holidays and theme days and there are so many fun things you can do in pre-school. There aren’t any computers, no technology. You really have that special time where you can capture the innocence of a joyous childhood.
WWD: What advice do you have for young and grand-influencers and those with ambitions to thrive on social media?
B.C.: Take the plunge. Take those risks. Embrace the change, because life is change. Share what you know and be yourself. Let it go. You just never know.