Englewood eighth grader started Stay Mega clothing line to beat COVID boredom
ENGLEWOOD — Like most 14-year-olds, Misha Theberge was really bored during the pandemic lockdowns and remote school classes, but unlike most teens that age, he battled that boredom by starting a clothing line.
Stay Mega is the business, chosen from his nickname Misha "Mega" Meesh, and not after the former president's campaign slogan Make America Great Again, or MAGA.
"Stay Mega means to put 100% into whatever you do. No matter what happens, you're going to Stay Mega," Misha said.
The eighth grader at The Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood said that since starting the clothing line, he's had to learn how to juggle his time being an entrepreneur, a student and a teenager. He's had to miss out on fun and parties to prep for his next clothing drop or to catch up on schoolwork, but he loves it all.
He always loved fashion and clothing, but didn't like the expensive price tags. The lockdown gave him the time and drive to do something about it.
Misha said that during the first year of his business he has sold more than 200 branded items.
All of the clothing items and accessories in the line have "Stay Mega" incorporated into the designs, which include colorful butterflies, smiley faces, hearts and more. The most expensive item for sale is a blanket for $55.99, and the cheapest are stickers for $4.99. Hoodies run about $40 and T-shirts about $30.
How does a 14-year-old start a business? He said it took a loan from his parents and some help with the logo design from his older brother, and the rest was his effort.
After some research into free design applications and drop shipping, which uses third parties for shipping and stocking, he was ready to go.
His father, Chris Theberge, said he lent his son a few hundred dollars that went to set up an in-store pop-up and to pay for a press release.
“He has always been someone who takes his own initiative and wants to do everything on his own,” Theberge said.
New businesses:Find drinks, sweets, poets and speed dating at this new coffee shop
This is not the first time Misha has started a business. On a smaller level, when he was very young, he sold fingerboards, or mini-skateboards, to his friends at school. Unfortunately, a "no commerce" rule at school put an end to that business.
Going out of business:These North Jersey businesses are closing for good, including a cinema and major chains
“In this instance, I saw my son's spark and his creativity to want to do something outside of school,” Theberge said.
Stay Mega has hosted one in-store pop-up event, where hoodies, long-sleeved T-shirts, blankets, stickers, socks, mugs, joggers, backpacks and notebooks were sold. Those items are all available for purchase online at meesh-merch.creator-spring.com.
"Eventually I want it to be a brand that everyone knows about, like Nike or Supreme, but right now I want to focus on getting people to know about Stay Mega," Misha said.
His father wants that, too, but wants his son also to have fun.
“I want him to continue to be successful without the pressure, because he also needs to have fun in life,” said Theberge.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Englewood student starts Stay Mega business to fight COVID boredom
