‘I think that is amazing’: Meet an 8th grade business owner

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - We love telling you about amazing students in What’s Right With Our Schools. Here’s one more example. Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School alerted us about Elizabeth Lowman who has a line of products on ETSY and her idea to start a business grew out of her experiences in third grade. That was five years ago.

Her third grade teacher Kim Yerkes says, “When she was in third grade she would implement our class store where students would bring in unwanted toys or crafts and they would sell it to their classmates.“

The class store was open at the end of each month. Yerkes thought it was a good way to introduce principles of economics. Yerkes says, “And Elizabeth would always bring something creative that she had made - bracelets or a drawing- and so her classmates would purchase that. Elizabeth says that’s what sparked her idea of starting her own business.”

She has sold a number of things over the years with the help of a popular vinyl printer and then a sewing machine.

Elizabeth says, “I got that in 6th grade for Christmas and so at the end of 6th grade I started doing the decals and so I started with Broadway monogram is what it was called, and after Broadway Monogram I moved onto Birmingham Pup Co.”

She launched Birmingham Pup Co. last year at 12 years old, inspired by her adorable miniature doodles who are also the models for the bandanas and other accessories she sells on ETSY.

Elizabeth says, “I’ve upped my game a bit. A couple of weeks ago I started making dog collars and so that’s something new.”

I thought surely she gets this from Her mom, Beth. I asked, “Did you see this coming?” Beth said, “No, she’s always been creative and doing little things when she was little. She would always set up stores and my dad and I would have to pretend we were shopping, but never in our wildest dreams did we think something would come of it.”

How did this happen and what’s her advice for other parents?

Beth says, “I think just be really supportive and encourage them and her dad and I really didn’t believe it would go anywhere, but just encourage them and just say, ‘well, you can do it.’ Just do the best you can. Love them and encourage them.”

She also says it helps when there is lots of support at school and a teacher like Kim Yerkes who is also super proud of Elizabeth.

Yerkes says, “I mean to have your own business when you are in the 8th grade. I think that is amazing.”

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