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‘Make the world a better place to shop’: Young cousins create their own store during pandemic

KETV

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — What started as fun for two cousins turned into a business.

“If I could have too many bows, I would wear all of them at the same time,” 8-year-old Khyla Phelps said.

Like many little girls, Khyla and 9-year-old JeRiya Haynie are all about bows.

Khyla and JeRiya, also known as “Ky and Ry,” are cousins.

“One day, we were in Walmart and we actually went down the aisle where we just (saw) a whole lot of ribbon, and Khylah was like ‘Mom, can we make bows?'” said Khyla’s mom, Ieisha Phelps.

Ky and Ry are practically inseparable, like their mothers, Ieisha and Tykesha Robinson, who are also cousins.

“It was like, a light bulb that went off in my head and I said ‘Kylah wants to make bows?'” said Ieisha. “I said ‘dude, JeRiya loves bows too,'” Tykesha told KETV Newswatch 7.

The girls decided to take their craft a step further.

“If we wear bows, we might as well just start our own business and make bows,” Khyla said.

But it didn’t stop at bows. “And then we added shirts… book bags, (and) gift baskets,” Ieisha said.

The cousins eventually started making custom outfits.

“We were going to open up a building, but then COVID hit,” explained Ieisha.

So, they opened up their garage and turned it into a store, now known as the Ky & Ry Bowtique.

“They have to keep their grades up if this is something that they want to do,” Ieisha said.

The moms say it’s about more than just bows and tutus.

“We update their report cards every quarter, just so the world can also see that they’re doing a phenomenal job in school,” Ieisha said.

Speaking of school, the second and third graders are putting what they learn in class into practice at the Bowtique.

“And so she has to use her mind to go back to see how much change she has to give them back,” Ieisha explained.

They use math skills and customer service skills with other kids who go in the store.

“I say they’re pretty and they got good outfits on because they do,” Khyla said. “We’re trying to make the world a better place to shop.

The girls say their goal is to expand the store outside of their garage.

Their store in the garage will re-open in April, but for now, you can buy bows, accessories and clothes on the Ky & Ry Facebook and Instagram pages.

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Article Topic Follows: Health

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