Two young sisters who live in Shawnee are running their own crafting business. Now, they’re ready to go public at a kids business fair this weekend.
Kinley Wohlgemuth, age 10, and her little sister Rylan Wohlgemuth, age 8, own and operate Shawnee Sisters, in which they make and sell a variety of crafts. Rylan makes and bakes bead bowls, and Kinley makes scrunchies. They’ll have their first vendor booth tomorrow at the Shawnee KidsFest Business Fair.
“They’re constantly crafting, but that’s all that they’re selling,” said Ashley Wohlgemuth, their mom.
They first started selling their products at garage sales. The sisters also bake and sell fresh-baked goods, including scones and muffins.
Kinley said she’s proud of her new skills she’s picked up along the way, and she’s also excited to have the chance to be in the crafting business.
“I like to sew, and I like to do lots of crafty stuff, so it just gives me something fun to do,” Kinley said. “And then I can make money off of doing it so I have more money to buy more things to do more crafts.”
“She’s always coming up with these ideas,” Ashley added of Kinley’s creative streak. “‘Mom I think we should try this,’ or ‘can we do this?’”
Rylan’s bead bowls feature a variety of theme colors, including patriotic, naturescape, ocean fusion, watermelon, camouflage and Halloween colors. Rylan said Kinley sometimes sells them at school.
“I like to do crafts on really hot days, like some of these days,” Rylan said. “I like to go outside, but not when it’s this hot.”
With the help of their grandmother, they’re also crafting their own jewelry. And Kinley is learning how to sew her own quilt.
“Our grandma is very, very crafty,” Rylan said of their grandmother’s creativity with earrings. “She helped us make those.”
While their mom does offer some business advice, for the most part, they are making many of their own business decisions.
“I think it’s awesome; I have my MBA, so I understand the basics of running a business,” Ashley said. “It’s teaching them good skills like money management and planning ahead, marketing, things that will help them when they get in high school and college and beyond. So I’m really, really proud of them.”
Rylan said she hopes to grow the business so she can start saving up for college and things she can enjoy for a long time — although she does plan to splurge a little of their profits and have fun. Kinley said she hopes to pick up a few tips from the other kid vendors at the fair and apply new lessons to their business plan for the future. She also hopes they can make a profit at the fair and keep growing their business.
The Shawnee KidsFest Business Fair takes place from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 7 at the Shawnee Civic Centre.
