President of the knitting club junior Juliana Rutschman started her own business, which specializes in plush animals in January of 2022. Juliana’s Crochet Zoo is also responsible for those rear-view mirror hangers you see hanging inside cars in the junior parking lot.
“My aunt taught me how to crochet, and … I just started doing it for my mom’s work and for baby showers, and then it grew,” Rutschman said.
After learning a common first project, the granny square, Rutschman became interested in animals.
Now she spends up to four hours crocheting plush cows, dinosaurs, jellyfish and more.
Once her animals are made Rutschman decides the prices of her creations by looking at different online sources to gauge their value before thinking about another fundamental business aspect: marketing.
Rutschman credited her mom with helping her with communications and the idea of creating an Instagram. Her family has been very supportive of her business through spreading the word, ideas, and sharing the excitement of crochet.
“Every time I finish a new pattern, I’ll show it to [my mom] first, and she’ll go crazy,” Rutschman said.
Once an item sells, Rutschman works to get the newly purchased plush to its owner.
“I don’t ship anywhere … maybe I will eventually. But right now I’ll either tie a bow or put [the item] in a bag,” Rutschman said.
Finding the time to crochet for her business in addition to finishing homework and other activities is something Rutschman struggles with. She tries not to crochet on school nights or on weeks that are especially busy.
Despite her busy schedule, Rutschman enjoys having a business and being able to interact with the St. Mary’s community in a different way.
The first time she sold something at school was to a friend. Rutschman called the experience rewarding because it made her “happy that she was happy about it.”
“It’s nice to [have a business] in school because there’s a community of people and everyone knows me,” Rutschman said. “People know that I crochet now, so it’s not that hard to get it out there.”
