Face mask innovation a big hit for Highland grad

SHARON CENTER — Sales of a face mask designed to remedy ear discomfort are quickly gaining steam for a 2018 Highland High School graduate, who's seen unprecedented online demand since introducing the product a few weeks ago. Caitlyn Collins started Lily's Chic Boutique Co. while still a Highland student as a way to save money for college, which involved frequent trips to craft shown in areas such as Akron, Cleveland, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. While she did find some repeat customers, the 20-year-old was finding it difficult to turn a significant profit margin. "It takes money to make money," said Collins. "I started to think about how I was doing things and when the coronavirus hit, started focusing even more on online sales." "I read a lot about what nurses were going through in terms of being in pain after shifts from having masks tied around their ears," she added. "They shouldn't have to be in physical discomfort like that when doing such an important, difficult job." Online sales of Collins' head bands began to gain traction and caught the eye of numerous health care workers, who suggested the item should be paired with a face mask. Since revealing the finished product in an April 5 Facebook post, more than 500 mask-head band combos have been sold. The mask attaches to buttons sewn into the sides of each head band, negating any contact with the ears. "It's been crazy," said Collins, now a business administration major at Baldwin-Wallace University. "I've never had anything sell like this. To have this kind of success and have it be helping nurses means a lot to me. We have kind of an assembly line set up at our house in Sharon Center. It's me, my mom, my dad, my fiance, and my sister. Everyone just kind of does their part." Happy customers have chimed in with numerous glowing reviews after receiving their masks. "These wonderful masks that you made with your own hands are helping us during this crisis," wrote one Cleveland customer. "Keeping our loved ones as safe as possible is such a blessing! They truly are special and will help me keep my mama safe due to her being high risk. So thank you again and God bless." Entrepreneurship runs deep in Collins' family as her father, Steve, and mother, Carrie, respectively own Wadsworth's Collins Woodworking and Moving Our Seniors. Her sister, Cayla Bauman, has started a keto diet dessert venture named Cayla's Confections. "When my finance first met my family, it was eye-opening for him how everything worked," said Collins. "We're always on the go. It's just how it's always worked for us. As long as I can remember we've always stayed busy. My fiance actually ended up moving to Wadsworth from Loudonville to work for my mom." Lily's Chic Boutique Co. gains its namesake from Collins' family nickname that was bestowed to her by her grandfather. "He always called me Lily because of my blonde hair," she said. "He passed away in 2006 but my family never stopped calling me Lily. I liked the name and how it sounded for the business and, of course, the sentimental value of it." Collins said while she works on building a website, the best avenue to purchase a mask or other product is through her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lilyschicboutiqueco. For other's out there with aspirations to start their own business, Collins said to be ready for early frustrations. "You have to save up enough capital for that up-front investment," she said. "Then don't get down on yourself if you don't get it back as quickly as you wanted. Just find your niche market and keep going. That's what I've been trying to do and now it seems to be starting to pay off. Have a passion for what you're doing and just go for it." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.