Arts & Crafts Division

Grasshopper Press, Atlanta, GA

Mary Katherine Lindsay is well known around her hometown as the founder of Grasshopper Press, but it is her original artwork that customers can't get enough of. "Everyone thinks my designs are really cute, and my friends are always saying, 'well my best friend has her own stationary company,'" Mary Katherine explains. And who wouldn't want to brag about a successful friend such as her? Business owner and designer, she creates the original art for stationary, birth announcements, and birthday cards sold by Grasshopper Press. "I've been an artist since I knew how to hold a crayon," Mary Katherine says. So it was no surprise when she started making greeting cards for her family and friends' birthdays. They cards were a hit with the family, and there was no doubt that other people would love them, too. Today, her Grasshopper greetings are sold in stores in Atlanta, Greenville, SC, and across New England. Despite her hopping success, this young artist is set on doing business because it's fun. "I like what I do, because I get to meet a lot of people," she says, "and I get to make decisions."

	YoungBiz 100
1	Mary Katherine Lindsay, 11	Grasshopper Press, Atlanta, GA Mary Katherine Lindsay is well known around her hometown as the founder of Grasshopper Press, but it is her original artwork that customers can't get enough of. "Everyone thinks my designs are really cute, and my friends are always saying, 'well my best friend has her own stationary company,'" Mary Katherine explains. And who wouldn't want to brag about a successful friend such as her? Business owner and designer, she creates the original art for stationary, birth announcements, and birthday cards sold by Grasshopper Press. "I've been an artist since I knew how to hold a crayon," Mary Katherine says. So it was no surprise when she started making greeting cards for her family and friends' birthdays. They cards were a hit with the family, and there was no doubt that other people would love them, too. Today, her Grasshopper greetings are sold in stores in Atlanta, Greenville, SC, and across New England. Despite her hopping success, this young artist is set on doing business because it's fun. "I like what I do, because I get to meet a lot of people," she says, "and I get to make decisions."
	YoungBiz 100
2	Angie Miech, 10	Angie's Mini Stick Horses, Big Horn, WY Lots of things come on a stick - candy, ice cream, even hot dogs - and now (drum roll, please) you can get horses on a stick, thanks to Angie Miech. They're cute, miniature, stuffed stick horses in an unending variety of fabrics and colors - not edible, but fun to look at. Each horse comes with a tag that tells how Angie started the company. When she was 6, Angie decided she wanted to earn money to buy a real horse. Her plan included selling horse magnets and mini stick horses. Four years later, she is the very proud owner of a beautiful horse, and a business owner who continues to sell her copyrighted creations and enjoys speaking to other 'treps.
	YoungBiz 100
3	Kenny Kirkpatrick, 18	Ken's Pens, Wood River, NE An ad in a woodworking catalog for kits to make pens caught Kenny Kirkpatrick's eye when he was 13. Since he loved woodworking, Kenny thought making and selling fine writing pens would be the perfect way to earn money. Five years later, he's still in business, currently selling his handcrafted works of art in 10 stores across Nebraska. A smart businessman, Kenny has won several business awards in his state and realizes an average monthly profit of $700.