WOODBURY – While many people were falling apart during the pandemic, Brenna Maklary was piecing everything together.
Maklary started a crocheting business during the pandemic as just a freshman in high school. If that isn’t impressive enough, she had no experience before she picked up the hobby.
“Everyone picked up stuff during the pandemic, so I kind of picked [crocheting] up,” Maklary said. “I had taught myself through YouTube videos, then it turned into [how] I could make people gifts.”
She originally started making these crocheted items as personal gifts, however it started to take off.
“Then my mom or dad posted and people said, ‘Oh, I want to buy from her,’” Maklary said. “While I was making one for someone, Ms. [Jennifer] Jedd actually said, ‘Well, we can turn this into an SAE.’ So then it became Crocheted Crafts by Brenna and I started up the Instagram. I sold a lot at the [Woodbury FFA] Spring Plant Sale and I’ve made a lot more stuff for the Winter Plant Sale.”
Maklary creates a lot of seasonal stuffed animals. She also recycles leftover products to save her time and help her sell more products.
“I’ll even carry stuff over from the spring,” Maklary said. “I had a leftover duck from the spring. [For winter], it’s getting a Santa hat on it and that’s being sold as a Christmas item.”
Nonnewaug chemistry teacher Melissa Hodges, who’s also the advisor of Nonnewaug’s Crochet Club, is a longtime supporter of Maklary.
“She’s a great kid,” Hodges said. “I had her back in her freshman year for integrated science and she was one of my hardest working kids. Then when I often subbed for chemistry last year, she was still hardworking. Just a nice and good kid.”
Hodges also plays a part of Maklary’s crochet business.
“I gave her one of my pattern books so she could learn how to make flowers, and then she crocheted little flower baskets and sold those at the last plant sale last year,” Hodges said. “She’s the one that made me start Crochet Club.”
Now a senior at Nonnewaug, Maklary originally came to school upon her mom’s suggestion to pursue her love for animals.
“My mom actually recommended the [agriscience] program ever since I was in maybe sixth grade,” Maklary said. “She was saying, ‘Oh, you need to go.’ I don’t even remember why I wanted to be a vet because I didn’t really grow up with any animals either. I just always loved animals and wanted to help them so then I just decided to be [a vet].”
