GoKawiilEmma MacTaggart, 26, left investment banking to sell needlepoint. Fellow Gen Zer Clara Sherman co-founded a company to make mahjong cool for younger players. They’re part of a wave of millennials and Gen Z entrepreneurs building companies around analog hobbies as a relief from screen fatigue, according to AP News, and business is booming.
MacTaggart founded What’s the Stitch after becoming “hooked” on needlepoint as a way to escape doomscrolling. She now sells canvases, accessories, and digital designs with a modern twist on the traditionally “buttoned up” craft. Sherman’s company, So Bam Fun, helps players reach a “zen state” while gaming with friends.
Likewise, Anna Weare, 27, a full-time blacksmith, has a year-long waitlist for her handmade spurs. She says the appeal of handmade crafts lies in young consumers being tired of mass-produced slop. “People want longevity, and this craft has been around for so long for a reason,” she said. The trend has been amplified by social media, where “grandma hobbies” have gone viral.