EAST GARAFRAXA – “Self care comes first.”
It’s printed in cherry-coloured lettering on the cream-coloured hoodies twin sisters Maya and Sofie Jenkins are selling through a business they’ve created to encourage awareness of mental health among teens.
It’s called Cherie, and it offers a variety of products, ranging from vintage clothing and jewelry to artwork and décor items, to journals and affirmation cards, all meant to encourage self-care.
The twins sell their products online through mybellecherie.com, and at the occasional market.
It’s a young business, having launched just under a year ago, with the lofty goal of helping teens improve their lives and feel better about themselves.
But perhaps the most remarkable thing is the youth of the entrepreneurs.
The girls, who live just outside of Erin in East Garafraxa Township, are just 16.
They will start Grade 11 at Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute in the fall.
“We’ve always been very entrepreneurial,” said Maya. “We’re also very creative people, and part of self-care for us is making things.”
During the pandemic, the pair set to work writing a novel, which they self-published at age 13 under the pen name Autumn Bluestone.
But in the aftermath of the pandemic, they noticed lots of kids struggling with mental health issues.
“It was just overwhelming to be surrounded by so many kids that were struggling,” Maya said.
Their business grew out of the desire to create something that would be both engaging and supportive for teens and youth.
“It basically revolves around these four pillars,” said Sofie, listing style, space, self and soul as their four areas of focus.
Style is about building outward confidence, whereas the “space” pillar is about creating a space where you can feel safe and at home, she said.
Self is about caring for your physical body, by doing things like “being active and eating healthy and getting good sleep,” and soul is the “more complicated” pillar, she said.
This last one is listed on the website with a goal of finding inner peace.
“That’s more of the bigger stuff,” said Maya.
To help with this goal, the girls offer a guided self-care workbook with pages that help people reflect on their mental health.
They sell the workbook for $30, but to help those who can’t afford the cost, they also make the pages available to download for free.
They have also compiled an extensive list of online mental health resources, linked from their website.
The workbook is one of their signature products, as is the hoodie they sell.
On the front, the hoodie states “I am worthy. I am divine. I am confident. I am powerful. I am capable. I am loved.”
On the back it reads, “I am determined to value myself and to love my body and to love my soul and to listen to my heart and to respect my emotions and to surround myself with beauty and to make my dreams real because I hold the power to define my life.”
“It’s kind of like a walking affirmation,” said Sofie.
They also sell affirmation cards, and things like posters and downloadable lock screens with positive messages.
“Our whole brand is about showing teens and youth that taking care of your mental health doesn’t just start with the hard parts,” Maya said.
They are not sure what the future will hold for the business, but they have had some preliminary conversations about partnering with mental health organizations.
“Our goal is to reach that target market and really start making a difference in as many lives as possible,” said Maya.
