Four months into her hobby turned small business venture, junior Kelsey Hanson has already made and sold more than 60 pairs of her moccasins called Minnemocs.

Hanson officially started the company in January as a way to make some extra money.

“I needed something to do over J-Term because I wasn’t getting many hours at my bakery job, and so I turned my hobby into a business,” Hanson said.

Operating out of her mother’s basement, Hanson targeted her products to the ages of children she has taken care of while babysitting and nannying.

“I make from size one to a size six which fits a newborn to about size or to the age of two, and it takes me about an hour a pair,” Hanson said.

Hanson taught herself the “ins and outs” of assembling moccasins, but she said a few family members, who were small business owners, provided helpful guidance along the way.

Hanson’s first customer, Michelle Ploetz, Hanson’s cousin who has a newborn that wears Minnemocs, passed away last month. Hanson saw Poletz as an inspiration throughout her life.

“(Michelle) has an eight-month boy,” Hanson said. “So, I came up with the moccasins, and I tested them out on Michelle’s little baby. His name is T.J., and so I made sure they worked for him.”

Minnemocs are sold in Teeny Bee Boutique and Lavender Thymes, and they can be purchased online. Hanson said the profit from her business helps pay for her school tuition and cut down on her loan debt when she graduates from St. Thomas.

“Instead of sitting around doing nothing, I was going to try to make some money on my own and start something and hopefully make a profit in the end,” Hanson said.

Jordan Kruger can be reached at krug6172@stthomas.edu