The Ground Floor: Mother and daughter craft a new business in Mount Vernon

Emily Reddish said she is a nurse by day and a craft-aholic by night.

In January, Reddish teamed up with her mother, Chris Herch, to form M.A.D. Creations, a Facebook-based T-shirt and gift retailer. The acronym M.A.D. stands for Mother and Daughter.

Working out of her home in Mount Vernon, Reddish customizes T-shirts and household items such as mugs and wineglasses using vinyl transfers. From her home in Clinton, Herch uses a laser engraver to create custom wallets, cutting boards and other engraved gift items.

As a youngster, Reddish watched her mother and grandmother sell chalk boxes and children's activity boards at craft shows, and she loved making crafty things on her own.

'Grandma passed away, and my mom and I kicked around the idea of getting back into it,' she said. 'We've been talking about this off and on for many, many months.'

Herch, who works full-time in a dental office, got a huge laser engraver to run her side of the business.

'My mom and stepdad are learning to do something together and having a fun time with it,' Reddish said.

For her own part of the business, Reddish needed a heat press printer, design software and vinyl cutter. She said she did a lot of research to find the right quality of vinyl to create her designs, as well as the right T-shirts.

'I spent so much time intentionally doing research before getting started,' she said. 'I bought a lot of different shirts and wore them myself to test fit, durability and comfort before diving in and sticking with one company.'

She now maintains an inventory of unisex T-shirts and coozies in popular colors so she can turn orders around quickly.

M.A.D. Creations does most of its business through Facebook, interacting with customers through the Facebook Messenger application and sending invoices via PayPal.

'My inspiration often comes from my customers,' she said. 'They will have an occasion or idea in mind and I take it and run with it.'

For example, Reddish recently worked with a customer to create custom fanny packs and personalized sunglasses for a bachelorette party.

'I hadn't done them before but was able to find a good product,' she said. 'I tried them out first, and they turned out great.'

Reddish said that she and her mother's plans for the business include bringing their wares to local farmers markets.

[naviga:h3 style="padding-left: 60px;"]AT A GLANCE

Owners: Emily Reddish and Chris Herch

Business: M.A.D. Creations

Telephone: (515) 512-2842

Email: ereddish3210@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/M.A.D.CreationsIA

Know a business in operation for less than a year that would make a good 'Ground Floor'? Contact michaelchevy.castranova@thegazette.com