A Note from our Founder
When I started Minni in 2018, I envisioned a place where the community could gather—physically—around one simple mission: to empower our littlest members to design great things.
Obviously, I did not foresee 2020 coming. This year has forced us to be creative in ways we never dreamed possible. We had to pivot our hands-on teaching model, learning in real time, as so many educators have, how to effectively engage kids of all ages on Zoom. We re-worked our curriculum for at-home learning with at-home materials and our in-studio lessons to be safer and socially distanced. And we introduced a line of hand-curated at-home creative kits to help you keep your kids creating no matter where you are.
Creativity is what we do, and I could not be more proud of how Minni has met the moment. I’m a big believer in finding silver linings, but, I want to be honest: It has not been easy. This year, we had to lay off seven members of our amazing teaching team, and cut the hours of the remaining few. (I’ve personally never taken a salary from Minni, as I have prioritized creating a fair workplace for our employees and the health of the business in these essential first years.) With so much of our core business focused around parties, hands-on workshops, and creative play drop-ins—things that aren’t returning in full-force anytime soon—I know it will be a struggle for a long time to come to pay our rent and retain our existing employees.
That’s why I’m asking for your help today. From the beginning Minni has been focused on meeting the needs of our community. We’ve designed much of our programming around your ideas, and your feedback. Tell us what you need now, so that we can create new strategies. You can send us an email with your ideas.
Anything else you can do to support Minni’s mission—purchasing gift cards, shopping in our shop, buying creative kits; signing up for classes (we have new private and online options); by telling a friend about us—matters more right now than I can express.
Thank you for your support thus far—we couldn’t have done it without you. And together, we will be empowering little ones to design great things for years to come.
Much love,
kelly x Team Minni