Many of us had a stuffed animal obsession when we were young; maybe it was a teddy bear that came with you everywhere, or a stuffed duck to help you fall asleep. For entrepreneur Emily Foster, that obsession has continued well into adulthood, and she has taken that passion for stuffed animals and turned it into a business: Alpacasews.
While pursuing a meteorology degree at NC State, Foster designed and sewed stuffed animals as a form of stress relief. She officially sold her first plushie in February of 2021, and after several viral TikTok videos, her company became popular enough for her to pursue Alpacasews full time.
“I’m beyond thankful for it, seeing people loving my designs that I put all my heart and soul into,” Foster said.
Building on that TikTok boost, Foster began designing new plushies every month: Garden Dragons, Coffee Kittens and Sunflower Cows, to name a few. Each design combines an animal with a prop or theme to create something unique, such as a dragon with mushroom wings or a cow emerging from a plush potted plant.
“All of my designs are unique and fun, and something that you won’t find on any other shelf,” Foster said.
But Foster realized that hand sewing each plushie was time consuming and not easily scalable. She needed a manufacturer and a warehouse—and funding.
In January of 2022, Foster launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund her first manufactured plushie, and from there sales soared.
This summer, Alpacasews has been participating in NC State’s Andrews Launch Accelerator, which is a 14-week program supporting early-stage startups. The program concludes at the end of August with a demo day.
Foster said this program has helped her company grow with the network it has provided her. She said being an entrepreneur can be lonely, and connecting with fellow entrepreneurs who have experienced the same challenges as her has been helpful.
“That has been fantastic, having mentors who are able to help me figure out problems that I didn’t think had solutions,” she said.
Foster, who works with one warehouse manager, sells her plushies both through her website and in person at various conventions. She has attended one convention per month this year, and will be selling at Anime NYC in August.
Foster said selling at conventions has been particularly rewarding and has helped her meet people who are enthusiastic about her designs. These people tend to fit into her primary audience of 18-25 year olds, and some have already followed Foster online for several months or years, collecting each new plushie design that comes out.
With more than 400,000 followers across all social media platforms, Foster said it can begin to feel like she’s just dealing with a number. But seeing people in person motivates her to continue working hard at Alpacasews.
“When I go into conventions, people come up and say they’ve been following me since the beginning, and it just warms my heart,” she said. “It really does. It really reminds me what I’m doing is impacting people and really is bringing joy to people.”
QUICK BITS
Startup: Alpacasews
Founder: Emily Foster (CEO)
Founded: 2021
Location: Raleigh
Website: alpacasews.com
Funding: Bootstrapped, seeking funding
Size of team: 2
The majority of online sales come from pre-orders, whereby customers get a discount for placing their order months ahead of when the design will be manufactured. In the coming months, Foster said she hopes to move into the B2B space with bulk distribution to retailers.
Moving forward, Foster also plans to begin speaking with investors, and specifically those who are knowledgeable about e-commerce.
In September, Alpacasews will be launching its “Charity Cat” initiative, which is a partnership with SAFE Haven for Cats, a rescue shelter in Raleigh. The plushie designs are based on real cats, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the shelter.
Alpacasews also plans to launch weighted plushies in Q1 of next year.
“I’ve been trusting my audience,” Foster said, summing up her journey to date.
It’s safe to say that’s working well.
