There are a lot of things that most of us buy instead of make — everything from soap to cocktails. DIY brand MakersKit, however, has been encouraging consumers to get creative by offering kits with instructional videos that make the work easier. Their kits have caught on, and the startup was recently selected for the Techstars Retail Accelerator in partnership with Target, and has relocated to Minneapolis for three months to participate.
MakersKit has already performed well since its launch in 2014, selling over a quarter-million kits to date, but the company clearly plans to continue growing. As part of the Accelerator, MakersKit will work with mentors from Target and the Techstars network to continue its work in creating fun products and experiences for consumers.
“Through the program we hope to both create a scalable nationwide, in-store experience program and spark creativity in consumers. That’s what we’re after — getting people to get creative,” said MakersKit co-founder and CEO Mike Stone. Both he and co-founder Jawn McQuade are former elementary school teachers.
The company has created over 100 different kinds of kits so far, with projects including DIY mozzarella cheese, ghost chili hot sauce, customized soap, terrariums, and much more. There’s definitely yuppie-slash-hipster appeal to both the kits themselves and what they make, so it’s fitting that they are currently available at retailers like Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, West Elm, and Williams-Sonoma. They can also be found at Macy’s, and the new partnership has brought the kits to select Target stores in San Francisco as well. The company also opened a flagship store in Los Angeles earlier this year.
MakersKit has made its mark on its own, so we look forward to seeing where the startup goes after its time in the Techstars Retail Accelerator. Our DIY expectations are high.
