Been here, done that: Tomima L. Edmark

Connection to Columbia
Tomima graduated from Stephens College in 1979 with bachelor’s degrees in business administration and fashion design.

As a student Tomima loved to party. Harpo’s and DéjàVu were some of her favorite Columbia hangouts.

The idea to write a book on kissing first came to Tomima in 1979 while she attended Stephens. She was necking on the couch with a boyfriend, she says, when he told her she was a great kisser. Tomima decided to write a book on the subject.

She has an MBA from the University of Texas-Austin and worked at IBM as a marketing representative before launching the Topsy Tail.

The Topsy Tail was inspired by a sudden brainstorm in a movie theater in 1989, when a French twist style worn by a moviegoer caught her eye. The prototype for the tool was fashioned from a loop made with a knitting needle and some masking tape.

Tomima was awarded the Stephens Alumnae Achievement Award in 1997. She was the keynote speaker at Stephens’ commencement that year.

Quotes
"Let your own frustrations, desires, thoughts, needs and wants guide you to a great business idea, but don’t get caught in the ‘it’s got to be new’ trap. It only has to be slightly new, slightly different to be a winner."
— Tomima Edmark

"She always had a smile on her face and was always walking very fast, and she seemed always to know where she was going with her life."
— Saundra Lane Garrett, Stephens alumna, 1980

Born:
April 1957 in Seattle

Known for:
Her best-selling books on kissing and her many inventions, including the Topsy Tail, a handy hair accessory that flips the ponytail inside out.

The Topsy Tail has sold 8 million units and generated more than $100 million in revenue since its invention in 1989.

Books by Tomima Edmark
Cigar Chic: A Woman’s Perspective (1995)
365 Romantic Gifts for Your Love: A Daily Guide to Creative Giving (1996)
The Kissing Book: Everything You Need to Know (1997)
It’s a Girl Thing (2001)
It’s a Guy Thing (2001)