Dayle Kendall is the sole owner of Wildchild Stitches and an expert in the fiber industry with over 20 years of experience. Kendall is ready to share her craft with fellow artists and aspiring crafters. Before Ms. Kendall’s entrepreneur debut, she spent her time in retail and customer service positions teaching knitting in shops and at various festivals. Using knitting, crating, and stitching as her inspiration, Ms. Kendall has decided to enter this industry to share her expertise, connect with local crafters, and bring her passion into her professional world.
Ms. Kendall has shown perseverance and tenacity throughout her entrepreneurial journey. In the early stages, it was difficult to find professional assistance that had an interest in her and her plans for her business. Banks and property owners showed a lack of confidence towards Ms. Kendall, unfortunately leading to a lack of offers and retail spaces. Ms. Kendall even found a few proprietors with promising spaces, but each time brought a different struggle: landlords pulling out or spaces needing improvements requiring even more capital.
Being a client of the SBDC since 2020, Ms. Kendall has shown excellent growth and bold courage throughout all the obstacles of the past few years. During her time with the SBDC, her consultant has provided Ms. Kendall assistance with a Business Plan, Marketing Plan, Financial Projections, and Competitive Analysis. They were able to connect her with leaders at Huntington Bank and assist her through her journey towards her goals.
Although her road has not been easy, she has kept both hopes and spirits high. Keeping her passion alive and her creativity at the forefront of her business, Ms. Kendall has successfully acquired a $75,000 loan to put toward her newly found location in Squirrel Hill. In May 2023, Wildchild Stitches opened in a brick and mortar location on Murray Avenue.
Wildchild Stitches has given Dayle Kendall an opportunity to keep her entrepreneurial talent and passion for artistry in the same place. Assistance from professionals—paired with Ms. Kendall’s drive—has led to much deserved success.