Minni: A Story of Passion and Adaptation

Based out of the South End in Boston, Minni is a venture that focuses on early art and design education for local children. Founded by lifelong entrepreneur Kelly Smith, the company has expertly adapted its model to combat COVID-19 restrictions and maintain an expanding, thriving business.

Smith, a graduate of Northeastern University, began her entrepreneurial journey young. While working at an architectural firm after college, she started small projects on the side. One of these was the discovery of a rare wool felt material, which she turned into her own business and was later acquired by a large furniture manufacturer. During that process, Smith was self-made, learning how to make websites, learning about the wholesale-retail market, and learning to do her own accounting at a company level. She looks back on this development and learning process and refers to it as, “My own graduate school.”

Smith describes herself as an independent designer and founder. Her passion for art and design has been prevalent throughout her life, including her decision to study architecture at NU. After her previous company was acquired, Smith looked to turn her passion into something new, and Minni was born. Smith noticed a lack of any sort of art or design education in Boston, yet saw the market demand. Working alongside her friend and current education director of Minni, Nora Elton, the two opened their studio in SoWa.

Since its inception, Minni has been very receptive to customer feedback, often changing their programming to meet their wants and needs. Prior to COVID-19, Minni held classes in their studio for children between 18 months — 10 years. The company also partnered with schools to send teachers to after-school programs, offered one-off workshops, and even began summer programs. One of the most successful offers was to host birthday parties, where a group could rent the studio for two hours and choose from one of the six themes offered. Demand for Minni was growing exponentially, and the business was exceeding expectations.

However, as COVID-19 social distancing measures went into effect in early March, Minni faced new challenges. Smith shut down the studio in accordance with local standards for over four months. While the studio was closed, Minni decided to offer virtual classes, running those until the end of the school year. After four months, Smith reopened the studio at limited capacity and sold out for the entire summer. Minni stresses the importance of safety in their studio, completely redesigning it to comply with social distancing standards, as well as using a grant from the city to buy easels outside and utilize their outdoor patio space. As of now, Minni is working on expanding their catalog and offerings, as well as continuing to safely offer a unique and professional art and design education to the local Boston community.

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