Local business owner offers vibrant, Hmong-inspired hair accessories
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A local business owner found inspiration from her culture for her products.
Linda Thao first started her business in 2016, knitting and crocheting items like scarves and hats. The business didn’t take off, and as she was in college at the time, she put it on the back burner.
When the pandemic hit, her sister encouraged her to learn how to sew. Thao said she always enjoyed creating things, and as a kid she wanted to become a fashion designer.
After learning how to sew, she rebranded the business as TesMade, offering handmade hair accessories like scrunchies, headbands, scarfs and bows. She sells her items online and at pop-up markets, and at the markets she also offers items like kids clothes, T-shirts and glass tumblers.
At the markets, she said she often hears from people who are surprised that scrunchies are back in style, adding that people often say they had a bunch of them in the ’80s and ’90s.
She offers five different sizes of scrunchies, with sizes that fit both those with fine hair and those with thick, curly hair.
The Hmong American got inspiration for the name from the Hmong language. “Tes,” pronounced “thay,” means hand, so it translates to “handmade creations.”
“I wanted to incorporate my language into the business name,” Thao said.
Thao, who grew up in Metro Detroit, said she first learned how important and vibrant her culture is in middle school.
“Our traditional clothing is very vibrant and there’s a lot of history that I really needed to learn from,” she said. “I preach all the time I am Hmong American and I love being Hmong. I love my culture. I love the food, I love the clothes, I love the music and what we have to offer.”
The traditional Hmong clothing inspires her work, she said, and she plans on releasing a dedicated Hmong collection.
“I love the vibrant neon color,” she said. “I do my best to pick the vibrant colors throughout the season.”
Her goal is to open a gift shop and offer her products in other stores. She added she’d love to grow the business and start hiring employees, while continuing “to give quality hair accessories.”
Thao posts what markets she’ll be at on social media and on her website. This month, which is Asian & Pacific American Heritage Month, she’ll be in Ionia for The Vintage Roof Market on the 11th, in Sparta for The Apple Blossom Market on the 18th and Zeeland for the Spring Peddlers’ Market on the 25th.
Making the products is therapeutic for her, Thao said, and she loves making people happy with her products.
“I just love that I can give these beautiful, colorful hair accessories to those who are interested in my product,” she said. “They can lighten up, like, ‘Oh my God, this is so pretty. I love it, I think this is so me, I’m going to get it.’ So it makes me happy that the customer is happy as well.”
She said when bad things happen, “I just keep pushing forward.”
“I don’t let that hold me down for a long time,” she said. “I just try to stay positive. Even if I’m having a bad day, I still push forward and just continue to create.”
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