At fifteen years old, Maddy Stevens is already the owner of a successful online business called MissMaddyMakes. The Kent, Connecticut homeschooled 10th grader began selling her handmade cat and dog toys at a roadside stand in 2012. But with the launch of her Etsy store this past January – and a foray into costumes for dogs, cats and even guinea pigs – business has really started booming. Even if you’re not in the market for animal couture or catnip toys, a visit to Maddy’s site is sure to put a smile on your face. I’ve always loved sewing and making things. A few years ago I set up a stand selling my cat toys during the summer sale days in Kent. I started with only toys, then I added costumes. People said I should open an online shop, and it was pretty easy to do. I set up my Etsy page in January of this year and I started getting busier when Etsy featured my shop in their “editor’s picks” for Halloween costumes. Now’s it’s a real business but it’s still so much fun. People from all over the world view my page and I just got some international orders today. I have a lot of ideas and I’m always making new things. Some of them are memes, like pizza cat or the cat with its head in a slice of bread. But I try not to make too many products at once because it can be overwhelming.
I love the holidays, so I made pilgrim hats for Thanksgiving, and a Chanukah hat and Santa hats for Christmas. My most popular product overall is the wizard cat hat, which I just made into a glow-in-the-dark version. Some people think that my models look depressed, but when I put up the backdrop to take photos, they run right over because they know they’re going to get treats. I built the cats a walkway around my room and they also have an outdoor cage where they hang out. The tiger cat is Tiki and the orange cat is Steve; the little white dog is Higgely and the one with spots is Milo. Carl is the guinea pig. My dream is to someday have a cat cafe, or a shop selling my products with a real cat in the store.
