It’s a ‘slimy’ business

Slime is big business. And, it is one 13-year-old Ohio Countian Ava Powers takes seriously. So serious that she has her a business selling it in her own internet shop.

What started as a fun hobby for her personal enjoyment has transformed into a business-making venture for Powers who sells her creations on Etsy, a global online marketplace where people sell, buy and collect unique items as well as having created a following on her Ava Kitty Slimes Instagram account.

Slime is a trend among kids, as well as some adults, that has been around for several years. It is a fun, stretchy substance that can be made using a couple of household ingredients. Ava uses Borax and white glue along with other add-ins and special ingredients to produce her fun, colorful slimes. Slime often helps people deal with stress and anxiety.

When Ava was four she would make slime occasionally, but it wasn’t until five years later that her interest piqued again and she started watching YouTube and Instagram videos of people playing with and making slime. A year later she saw an advertisement for a slime bash and other slime conventions where “ slimers ,” those who make slime, would be selling their product.

“I started when I was a younger kid at the house,” she said. “Once I got on Instagram and started watching videos I wanted to do that too.”

Ava gathered her money and headed to Slime Bash in Chicago in 2019 as a slime consumer and fan of many at the convention. She attended two other slime conventions that year.

“I was hooked. I started buying slimes online from my favorite slimers through Etsy or their own websites,” she said.

Not satisfied being just a consumer at these conventions, Ava registered and was approved to sell her own slime the Southern Slime Convention in Chattanooga, Tenn. in January 2020. She had just three weeks to create a logo, get a banner and table decorations and make and package slime to sell at the convention.

“I immediately went to work,” she said.

She took 75 slimes and sold out within two hours.

The $1,000 she made for that first convention she put back into supplies to make more.

“After that first convention, I couldn’t wait to be a part of more,” she said. “I came back home and decided to start my own slime shop on Etsy and make and play with slimes and post daily on an Instagram account with what I had made at the slime convention.”

Ava Kitty Slimes has over 55,000 followers on Instragram where they can view videos of Ava playing with or making her slime.

“I was lucky that I had several of my videos go viral which allowed me to gain followers,” she said.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a slight damper on Ava’s slime business as conventions were canceled. It did, however, allow her more time to make slime and post videos as well as create ideas for different types and designs of slime. She was resourceful during the pandemic shutdown and started using things around the house to mix into her slimes.

“It helped having something (to do) in the house while COVID was hitting and we were forced to stay home.”

It took a while before sales on her Etsy shop took off. Around Halloween was when she had the majority of her sales for 2020.

“As time went on ... 2021 things have really taken off,” she said.

In February, Ava began averaging about 70 sales a month and last month she sold 83 slimes. Each container of slime retains between $10 and $12 each.

Ava spends more than three hours a day making slime to fill orders, creating content for her growing Instagram followers or creating new products to sell.

“(Making slime) is a creative outlet for me,” she said. “I love creating. It’s my favorite part.”

The creating process involves more than just making the actual slime. There are colors, textures, add-ins and scents to consider not to mention packaging and labels. Ava loves to take materials from craft stores, sewing stores or even the Dollar Tree and add them to her slime – even things like deodorant, bath bombs, food and toys have been added to her creations. She gathers inspiration for her new products from things that she likes, cartoon characters, clothes, shoes or things that she sees online.