Everett fourth grader stitches summer boredom into business

EVERETT — For 9-year-old Eisley Lewis, summer was fun, sun and income.

She stitched boredom into profit using a sewing machine.

“It’s something you can do when you’re bored because it’s active,” she said. “Sometimes it’s really frustrating, but I like it.”

Eisley made reversible tote bags, sachets and heated rice bags, pocketing nearly $400 at the Snohomish Farmers Market and at a pop-up in front of her Everett home.

She didn’t just sell. She strategized, saved and even bartered with other youth market vendors.

“I traded inventory — a rice bag for some slime and a tote bag for a 3D dog,” she said.

Like any savvy businesswoman, Eisley set aside 20% of her earnings in savings. Her splurge? A 2,040-piece Lego set. The rest is spending money.

Eisley, a fourth-grader, learned to sew last fall while visiting her grandmother in Kentucky. Halloween tote bags were their first project.

“My mom was impressed with how she focused. They sewed for hours,” said Alex Lewis, Eisley’s mom.

Grandma sealed the deal with a Christmas gift: a lavender Janome sewing machine.

The Snohomish Farmers Market gave Eisley training and a booth through the Youth Market Makers Experience, backed by the Snohomish Chamber of Commerce, Little Books of Big Business, Coastal Community Bank and Business Ladies of Society.

“These kids experience what it is like to go from start to finish with a business,” market director Sarah Dylan Jensen said. “We are impressed with how seriously they take it.”

Jensen said about 50 young entrepreneurs, ages 6 to 16, took part this season, with wares such as felted crafts, slime kits, succulents, dog treats and mini skateboards.

They learned how to price their work.

“At the market, they taught us to add how much time it took,” Eisley said. “Two hours to finish a tote bag, so that was $10, then I added $5 for the material.”

She later slashed prices for a sidewalk sale, where the last two tote bags went fast for $10 each.

Her mom, who owns the mobile salon Wanderer Barbering Co., helped with setup and supplies.

“I hadn’t sewn since she was in my belly,” Alex Lewis said. “She inspired me to start sewing again.”

Eisley picked fabrics with charm.

“Everybody likes cats and pandas, you know,” she said. “People like food patterns.”

Prints included macaroons, waffles and sushi. The tote bags flip inside out with reversible fabric. The rice bags can be microwaved for spa-like warmth.

Not every stitch was seamless.

“If I do the pedal too fast or there’s too much rice in the rice bag, it won’t go over. The string will break or the needle will shatter or it just gets messed up,” Eisley said. “Then I have to rip the seam — and that’s annoying.”

Still, the effort paid off.

“It feels good,” Eisley said. “If they look good and are ready to be sold, then I’m proud of myself. If I sell them, then I’m happy — I’m proud of myself.”

This wasn’t Eisley’s first hustle. She has sold lemonade and jewelry on her sidewalk.

“Last year, I made bracelets and rings,” she said. “I found rocks and crystals at the beach and put those in a little jar to sell.”

Next year, she plans to launch a line of candles at the market.

“Scented and in colors that people would like,” she said. “I really want to try it out.”

Does she plan to be millionaire by age 12?

“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe if I save up. I have my own savings account. Probably by the time I’m a grown-up, maybe.”

Contact writer Andrea Brown at reporterbrown@gmail.com.