Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to kick off our Small Business Spotlight with featured blogger Melissa Hager from Two of A Kind!  Melissa creates custom knit and crochet pieces, and her skill is incredible, not to mention the passion she has for her business.  She is an inspiring artist, to say the least.  You can check out Two of A Kind on Facebook, and browse Melissa’s awesome shop on Etsy!  Read on to learn more about her business and what sets her apart from the crowd!

I’ve always been a creative child at heart and began knitting and crocheting when I was in high school.  I still remember a purse my mom had from the 70’s that I wanted and of course they didn’t make anything like it anymore – so I learned to make one for myself!  From there I branched out and started creating change purses and then scarves and hats and toys, you name it and I’ll make it was my philosophy.  I just loved to knit, so I began making items for friends and family too.  There was no way I could wear all of my creations!  Once my friends and family started receiving them as gifts and such they were actually the ones that recommended I sell my items.  So I took their word and started an Etsy shop, which has continued to expand and grow.

One of the things that I’ve always kept the same was the idea of custom items.  That’s how I got started, I wanted a purse that I couldn’t find so I figured out how to make it and that’s what I like to offer to my customers.  I often have people come up to me with an idea of what they would like and they’ll ask me if I can make it for them and my answer has always been a resounding YES!  My items are truly one of a kind and the concept of creating my own item and pattern is half of the fun for me.  I love thinking outside of the box and creating something that no one else has.  I love looking at the yarn in my home and thinking what can I turn this into.I love puzzles and to me that is one big puzzle, turning a piece of yarn into a dinosaur or squirrel or snake!  Sounds like a puzzle to me!  I am always open to new, fun and creative ideas.

I’ve also always been inspired by nature, when I hit a roadblock or don’t have anything specific to create for a customer I always look out the window or go for a nice hike with my family. There’s so much to see in the world around us and the ideas always come flooding in. I’ve always created animal hats and toys for children and often tend to purchase more natural color hues of yarn for my women’s accessories but I’ve recently started purchasing more organic yarns and yarns made of wool, alpaca or angora.  I’m looking to incorporate more organic items to my store and I’m currently looking to find a couple of local suppliers of yarn. (If anyone out there knows of anyone please feel free to convo me!) By the end of 2013 I’m hoping to have half of my store organic in nature!! This change may increase prices slightly but by all of the inquiries I’ve received about organic items I don’t think the price increase will scare off anyone, in fact I have a feeling more people will be inspired to purchase those items from my shop because of the natural elements and knowing that they’re not mass produced in a factory full of chemicals and who knows what else! This change is truly exciting for me; I cannot wait to roll this out!

2013 is bringing on a lot of new changes for me and my shop and this one is something I’ve held near and dear to my heart for quite a while, I’ve decided to donate a portion of my sales to a local charity.  I’ve been creating and selling my items for quite a while now and I believe it’s time for me to pay it forward. I’m an animal lover and have been since I was a child so it’s only natural that I give back to a local animal rescue. As I see the countless stories of abused and neglected animals my heart breaks.  I’ve always believed in saving the dogs and cats that do not have homes and in November of 2011 we adopted our dog from a local organization called Paws and Prayers based out of Akron, OH. They’re a rescue who utilizes foster parents to care for the animals until they are found homes. The upkeep of animals is immense and the foster parents also take on a lot of responsibilities themselves taking these animals into their homes for an indefinite amount of time. I’ve decided that in the coming months I will start donating 10% of sales to this wonderful organization.  Please help me support this great cause and all of the loving animals they support.