Shop Talk: The Baby Niche

Our goal for our NEW Shop Talk series is to highlight different makers & crafters, incredible small-shops, inspiring entrepreneurs, and motivational individuals or families!

There couldn't be a better time than this as supporting local and small shops during these stressful times will make a MASSIVE, positive impact on makers' personal and family lives.

Meet Nysha from The Baby Niche, an incredible mama, brand developer and small business owner! She has set herself apart in the teething craft market with some phenomenal designs, stunning photography and a fresh openness to all of her discussions and reflections!

We couldn't be more honored to have her featured today, so cozy in and celebrate her journey with us, especially as she discusses the challenges of the last few months!

Hey it’s Nysh!

I’m a mama to 3 kiddos + apparently we homeschool now too, ha! I’m married to a Sheriff + the man behind all our wooden products, @wheatlandwoodshop.

What started out as leather bow jobby (job/hobby) boomed into something that brings me joy + now provides a full time income for our family!

We branched into leather soother clips, and when we sourced some wooden rings to go with them, my husband snapped all of them in half. As parents we knew this wasn’t ok, and we knew we wanted to create a Canadian product to fill this void. This is when I switched things up + found the passion to really create a business I wanted.

With the craziness of Co-vid + now having 3 kids home all day, a teacher + all the anxiety that comes with that, I’ve found it to be crucial to stick to a “schedule”… and I use that word loosely. For us, I’ve found that if my kids get my attention in the morning + do school work then, I can work less distracted + disturbed in the afternoon while they do quiet time + free play.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t lots of late night hustles where my days have not gone at all according to plan! I think we just need to give ourselves more grace than ever. It is unknown territory for all of us, and no one is doing it perfectly.

Some questions I tend to get:

How do I do it all?

I don’t. Nobody does. Read that again. NO ONE does it all. I’ve learned and had to relearn this over and over. There’s no such thing as balance…it’s an ebb and flow kinda life for us. I have busy seasons where the husband does majority of cooking/bedtimes + then we swap.

I’ve learned that I have to invest in things that matter, so if a clean house matters, then make it a priority to have a house-cleaner in the budget. If cooking is too stressful, make a meal subscription part of the budget.

How much did you invest when you started?

I started when my 3rd babe was 8 weeks old + used $90 to buy some leather supplies + tools. I used Etsy, where the fees are minimal when you start. As my business grew, I only used what I could to reinvest + the rest we needed to provide. This did determine our growth, but we had decided early on not to go into debt. 4.5 years later, we have maintained that. (Side note: Check out our recent blog post on the $100 Start-Up!)

Where does the name come from?

My name is Nysha, pronounced Nee-sha. Everyone calls me Nysh, which sounds like Niche. My bio teacher used to cross it out and write Niche on my papers. So it’s a play on words… “The Baby Niche”.

Thanks for spending some time learning and growing through Nysha's personal story and reflection! We are so blessed to be part of a community of inspiring makers and crafters that are carving out their own unique brands in the teething world! Be inspired and encouraged!

*Nysha's other business shared with her husband, The Wheatland Woodshop has taken off so well that she decided to close The Baby Niche to focus on that and other life adventures! All the very best Nysha!! xo