My name is Mia and I am a 12 year old 7th grader at Pearl Miller Middle School in Kinnelon, NJ.The name of my company is Fab Decor and my goal is to make innovative, unique, gifts and home decor items.
The idea I had was to make “Lightbulb Aquariums”. This is a cool “Aquarium” that requires little to no maintenance at all and makes an interesting piece of decor for virtually any room in the house. Instead of using actual lightbulbs, I was able to find lightbulb shaped jars which worked out perfectly. I chose to use many different colors and styles using plastic aquarium plants, colored stones, gravel and rocks to add interest and variety to each Aquarium. I was even able to find some plants that glow in the dark!
In an effort to make my Lightbulbs have more of a live Aquarium feel ( without the fish of course!, ) I researched what is called a Marimo Moss Ball. These are live, aquatic plants that originated in Japan and although they are called moss balls, they are actually a form of algae. They were initially discovered in shallow lakes and streams and are able to maintain their round shape from the constantly rolling current of the water. These Marimo Moss balls are sometimes used in fish tanks here in the US. They can even grow up to the size of a baseball with regular water changes of cool water. At the TREP$ Marketplace, I offered the option of adding the Marimo Moss balls to any of the Lightbulb Aquariums for an extra $1.00.
There was definitely something for everyone! I even made a few Christmas “Aquariums” which were a bigger hit than I’d anticipated since I wasn’t able to use water in these due to the non-water proof components. They did turn out awesome though, and I had many calls to make extras the day after the Marketplace.I sold my Lightbulb Aquariums for $5.00 each and I sold out within 45 minutes! I knew they were cool looking, but its very hard to predict how much inventory you will need and what customers would gravitate to. Just in case, as an added incentive, I offered a free candy candy with each purchase. My net profit after paying back my parents for all of my supplies ended up being $101!! I was beyond proud and excited that my Lightbulb Aquariums were such a huge success and something no one else had. I really enjoyed making them and ensuring that each one was special and unique. It was a really great experience – learning how to run your own business from start to finish. The Marketplace was the best part – not only selling my goods, but being able to support my friends and their creations by purchasing from their tables as well. I can’t wait for TREP$ 2018!
