Senior Katie Baltzelle carefully knits a headband for a customer. Every week she works hard to sell her craft to peers. Photo Credit: KAYLEE OBERFIELD
BY DESIREE DEMOLINA
Creating and marketing handmade crafts tends to be difficult and at some point, crafters wonder whether or not their product will sell. However, a handful of students at Cooper City High School are determined to find success. Dedicating hours of time to creating their homemade trinkets, these talented students have certainly found a way to make money off of their hobbies.
Katie Baltzelle and Brianna Rynning, seniors at CCHS, have definitely found success in selling their crafts. It all started last year when Baltzelle purchased a hand made knit beanie cap from her friend and realized that she could easily create her own. Baltzelle teamed up with Rynning in hopes of creating their own crafting business and they soon began organizing their ideas and knitting regularly.
“It started out just for fun,” Baltzelle said. “It definitely was a hobby turned into a business. We sold beanies to students at our school and other people that we knew.”
Using whatever free time available, Baltzelle and Rynning would work diligently on their hats. They sell them from $5-$8 depending on the length of the beanie and the price of the yarn.
“If you work hard and fast all day, you can create a beanie in a day,” Baltzelle said. “I always make them whenever I have downtime.”
Baltzelle’s small business has come full-circle within the last year, from her first purchase last winter to her exceedingly busy current production schedule. Even as busy as she is, she takes care and pride in her creations.
“Seeing someone walking around sporting one of my creations is the most fulfilling feeling in the world,” Baltzelle said.
Unlike Baltzelle and Rynning’s business, senior Ariel Hunt’s creative endeavor goes in a slightly different direction. On weekends, Hunt creates string-embroidered bracelets and distributes them during the week. Learning her skill from camp, Hunt has taken this craft to the next level.
“I’ve been making bracelets since middle school,” Hunt says. “I started selling because I had so many bracelets. I figured I wouldn’t wear all of them, but other people would.”
Lately Hunt has ventured into the realm of online selling, mainly focusing on a website known as Etsy.com. Etsy covers a wide range of homemade and vintage items, ranging from photographs to bath products.
Although most decide to purchase hats and bracelets at stores, some CCHS students respect their peers efforts of and work continually to support it. Junior Bobby Willis is just one who finds the entrepreneurship of his friends commendable.
“With winter coming up, I wanted to be comfortable and stylish,” Willis said. “I think what Katie is doing is really admirable. She works hard on her beanies and her efforts should totally be supported.”
For both Baltzelle and Hunt, crafting has allowed them to have both a hobby and an income. Finding a balance between obligation and creation can sometimes be risky, but the results are worth it.
