Frustration Leads 10-Year-Old To Create Her Own Business
Holyoke, MA — During a visit to a pop-up show, Olivia Latorre, was frustrated that all of the items for sale were for adults, with nothing for children.
“So we decided to come up with our own business,” 10-year-old Olivia said.
In 2020 she and her mother created LivNu Accessories, named for Olivia and her younger sister, NuNu. LivNu Accessories began by selling girls bows at a more affordable price than celebrity bows. Over the past two years the business has expanded to add children’s sunglasses, Crocs charms, pocketbooks, necklaces and hats while expanding to more than 25 different designs of bows. They’ll soon add hats and sunglasses for boys.
The business took off quickly, selling to a neighbor within a day. They recently added a website, but most sales are through pop-up shows and craft fairs in Massachusetts.
“It’s a really good opportunity to share what I make,” Olivia said.
She’s connected with a few other kids at the shows who sell food or crafts, but most are attending with their parents. The outgoing Olivia has been known to give away items for raffles or contests.
Tying it All Together
When inventory begins to run low, Saturday is bow-making day for the family, and they’ll spend several hours carefully putting approximately 20 bows together.
“We put a lot of work into our bows,” Olivia said.
Olivia’s mother, Erica Williamson, does the risky work such as attaching charms to bows using a glue gun. Olivia actively assists with packaging and shipping, plus she is the creative force behind the business by providing ideas for the different bows.
“I’m 10, so I know a lot of cartoons and TV shows that are famous, and that a lot of people like to watch,” she said. Her favorite designs are the Turning Red bow and the Black Girl Magic bows, honoring Black leaders like Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Maya Angelou.
A part of the love for bows is celebrating heritage, such as a bow with the Puerto Rican flag and by ensuring that every ethnicity and type of person is included.
“It’s about representation,” said Erica.
They also make bows for holidays, special characters and customized with initials. Each week they try to launch something new on the website, and often try to tie it into celebrations or seasons during the month.
“If there is a bow we can make, we’ll make it,” Erica said.
Helping Her Grow
LivNu Accessories has helped Olivia with lots of skills including communication, something that will help her as she enters middle school in the fall. She’s also learned to “keep working and never give up.”
By creating the business for her children, Erica hopes this will be something her girls can have as a reliable source of income for their future. Olivia and her sister may eventually want to open a “bow-tique,” but even if they don’t they’ll still have this resource with lots of possibilities and a way to save while they’re young.
“As long as people are having babies, they’ll always want bows for little girls,” Erica said. “There’s a lot of different things I see happening, because girls love bows.”
You can shop her full collection on her website: https://www.livnuaccessoriesllc.com/
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