Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marketa DiStasi. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Marketa , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

After I found out, that 65% of American 4th Graders read below their grade level (which contributes to about 8000 students dropping out of high school every year) I started thinking about a fun way to make children fall in love with books and reading from an early age.

Reading and storytelling with babies and children promotes brain development and imagination, develops language and emotions, and strengthens relationships. Sometimes you can read. And sometimes you can look at picture books, sing songs or tell stories from your culture. And sometimes you can also dress up as the main character and make the whole book come to life! And this is where our subscription comes in.

Our box isn’t only a book club for small children to help them love books and reading itself. It also promotes their imagination through our beautifully crafted costumes and accessories, teaches fine motor skills through our craft packages, and challenges their mind through our challenge cards.

This box is everything a child needs to fall in love with the world of books. We hope that our book club will largely contribute to helping all children reach the proper reading levels and that the % of non-readers will go down.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

With over 10 years of experience working directly with children of all ages, I discovered the importance of imagination for learning and development. I strongly believe that books can inspire a child to think outside of the box. With the right books, a little push, and a spark of imagination, children will grow to love reading and will continue to throughout their lives.

I came up with the Little Bookish Wardrobe club for little readers in 2016. It was right after my first child was born that I decided to start a whole new business with a newborn in hand. I was, of course, anxious about how everything will turn out, but I had huge support from my husband who helped me tremendously.
So I just dived in and in December 2016, Little Bookish Wardrobe was born.

The Little Bookish Wardrobe is a monthly subscription box, created to help inspire imagination in your child!
Each month, your child will receive a book to read, along with unique play costume pieces that match the theme and characters of the book. There is no better way to inspire reading than by making the character come to life!
We want your child’s imagination to soar as they dress up as one of the characters in the book! Also included each month are interactive questions, monthly challenges, and Hands On Crafts.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

Our main website where we sell our products is www.littlebookishwardrobe.com, however, we did start selling through Cratejoy at the beginning.

Cratejoy has its ups and downs like every platform, but it has been a great start for our business. When you don’t know how to build your own website or you are not sure where to look for potential clients and have a small starting budget, a platform like Cratejoy is a way to go.

We are currently selling on both, our website and the Cratejoy platform, and are in the process of opening an Amazon storefront as well.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I view challenges as learning opportunities.

Owning and running a business while also being a stay-at-home mother who takes care of two small children isn’t easy.
You will run into a lot of bumps on the road and you have to just keep moving. I do get stuck a lot whenever a very big bump comes along the way. That’s where my very supportive husband comes in and carries me over. His never-ending support and positive guidance help me overcome all difficulties and makes me more resilient.
I also try not to focus on the things that can not be changed and celebrate the small victories along the way.

Business is one hell of a ride! You will have fantastic years and you will have very tough years.
During Covid-19 many businesses had to close their doors because of the financial difficulties this World wide issue brought on them. But do not, for one minute think, that just because Covid-19 is somewhat over the financial and business-related issues are over. There are many businesses that are still struggling and are relying on their community for support!

If you know a small business owner, support them in any way you can. This will help them become more resilient because your support will give them strength.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.littlebookishwardrobe.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlebookishwardrobe/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlebookishwardrobe