Moses Lake woman adds bling to gift items
Heather Reich holds one of her resin shaped cat necklaces this week at the Moses Lake Farmer's Market. The necklace resembles the popular Hello Kitty character and has candy sprinkles inside.
MOSES LAKE - Rhinestones, small pink bows and flowers bedazzle small, folding hairbrushes created by Heather Reich.
Her work doesn't stop there.
Plastic pieces are fashioned into white chocolate-bar earrings.
Hello Kitty-looking shapes adorn more earrings and the sunlight catches the glimmer of decorated cellphone cases.
Reich's "With love by Heather" craft stand was part of the Moses Lake Farmer's Market this week.
Both Reich and her daughter, Alyssa Bise, were on hand to help customers.
Reich, a stay-at-home mother of two, started making her crafts four weeks ago and calls them "a little side project."
This week was her third farmer's market.
Her biggest sellers are little girls' earrings, Bise said.
Reich also works with resin to form necklaces and large bow rings.
One necklace features a Hello Kitty-like head, with a clear appearance, containing colorful candy sprinkles.
Reich was pleased to discover the sprinkles didn't melt and the colors didn't run once mixed with resin.
"I just started doing this one day and thought I could do a farmer's market," she said. "It's actually fun. I'm having fun with it."
She's always liked Hello Kitty and knows some fun facts about the popular character, such as the name of Hello Kitty's cat, Charmmy Kitty.
Reich also makes cellphone covers for all makes and models.
She initially thought her audience would be adults, but it has turned out to be children, or rather, adults shopping for kids.
One woman did buy a necklace and custom-ordered a ring to match.
"I guess it depends how much you like Hello Kitty and cutesy-type stuff," Reich said.
Allan Peterson, director of Washington State University's Small Business Development Center, said the cottage industry is "exploding, with a lot having to do with the economic climate."
Some people start by making their hobby a business, he said.
Between 34.3 million and 36.6 million Americans have active home offices and the numbers are growing, according to 2010 figures provided by the Home Business Magazine.
More than 12 percent of U.S. households operate a full or part-time home business, according to the magazine.
In Moses Lake, Reich's next step is completing her website, which should be done in the near future.
Her long-term goals are bigger.
"It would be so cool if I could open a store," she said.
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