Creative girl turns fun into business
EIGHT-year-old Eryn Stevens had no idea just how popular her handmade hair accessory bows would be, but after selling them at the Fine and Fabulous Young Entrepreneurs Market last weekend, she won a R1 500 cash prize and a chance to stock her product at the Pinecreek farm stall.
“Eryn had a really nice stall and her product was very well presented. We think her product will definitely sell well in the stall, which was one of the main criteria to win the prize,” said Pinecreek manager Rudi Pretorius.
Eryn’s mini business venture, named Eh Eh Bows, was inspired by American dancer and YouTube personality Jo Jo Siwa’s signature hair bows.
“I really like how the bows look and I came up with the name because when I was little I couldn’t say ‘Eryn’ so I called myself ‘Eh Eh’. Some of my friends still call me that,” said the soft-spoken youngster who is a Grade 3 pupil at Wonderland Primary.
Eryn first made her bows for her market day at school earlier this year and they proved to be a huge hit. After selling out at school her friends and peers kept placing orders, so her mom, Liezl, suggested that she take part in the Young Entrepreneurs Market Day.
“We really just wanted to give her a confidence boost and we didn’t expect this at all, but we’re very proud of Eryn and I think it’s taught her that if you put hard work and effort in, you can succeed,” said Liezl.
Despite being hesitant to take part in the Young Entrepreneurs Market, Eryn did extremely well, selling 52 of the 63 bows she worked hard to make the weekend before.
From folding coloured ribbon into the bows to planning how to decorate them, Eryn did a lot of the work herself, getting mom to help with all the glue gun work and dad, Wesley, to help out at the stall on the market day.
“Eryn’s bows are so trendy and creative and she was so shocked when I told her that she had won the prize,” said Fine and Fabulous Market organiser Sam Ramsey.
Eryn made big bows known as EE bows, some plain and some decorated with colourful diamantes, but she also made a range of smaller bows, naming them Ava bows, after her five-year-old sister.
Pretorius said that Eryn’s bows would be available at the Pinecreek farm stall by the end of the month. —