Rochester Woman Selling Rock City Skirts

A fashion statement turned into a full-scale home business for Rochester business Amy Maust.

"A personal, handmade sparkle skirt was always the centerpiece of my outfits," she said. "Friends and running partners started noticing and enjoying my flashy running skirts. The next thing I knew, they were asking to pay me to make one for them!"

She opened Rock City Skirts and recently submitted information about the business through the Small Business Spotlight.

What does your business offer? 

Sparkle running skirts, running costumes, custom made sparkle skirts, skirts for holiday races.

What's your most popular product or service? 

During St. Patrick's Day, the green sparkle skirt was a huge hit (for the Corktown and Shamrock Shuffle races).

What's a fact about your business that most customers probably don't know?

I have a "sweat shop" in my basement.

When was the business founded?

Summer 2012.

How did your business come to be? 

It all began with the Chicago Marathon in October 2012. My husband and I signed up to run the marathon as part of Team World Vision. Team World Vision exists to help impoverished communities around the world have access to clean water. Excited to be part of something so worthwhile, I set a very ambitious fundraising goal.

Along the way, we participated in many shorter races to help us prepare for Chicago. I have a fun and silly personality, so I wanted my personal race day experience to reflect this. I determined to wear a fun outfit or costume in each race. Running is hard for me! Planning and gearing up in a fun outfit really helped add to the entertainment value of the event.

A personal, handmade sparkle skirt was always the centerpiece of my outfits. Friends and running partners started noticing and enjoying my flashy running skirts. The next thing I knew, they were asking to pay me to make one for them! I realized this could be a win/win situation. I decided to donate all the profits from my skirt sales to Team World Vision.

The skirts and fundraising idea were a hit. I sold dozens of skirts, had fun and set a team fundraising record in the process. As a result of this success, many friends suggested that I turn sparkle skirt making into a business. I decided I had nothing to lose, so I went for it!

Why did you choose the area you did?

This is where I live and this is a home-based, internet sales business

Contact information:

Web: http://rockcityskirts.com/

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