The Grand Forks Herald sat down with Courtney Wirth, owner of Cute Gifts by Court, for 5 Questions this week to ask her questions about her business.

Q: When did you start Cute Gifts by Court?

A: I was a new mom at the end of 2019 and looking for something to do at home with my baby. My background is teaching, and one of the fun things teachers do at the start of every year as we get together with our team cohort and order shirts.

Q: What kinds of things do you make?

A: My idea was just to make cute T-shirts, onesies and shorts for new moms, but then I quickly realized that there was a market for big and tall sizing. So, once I incorporated that is when I started seeing growth in another direction. I make custom and pre-designed t-shirts, hoodies and onesies. 2020 was a great year if you had an idea or a hobby to really dive in and research it. So, my little corner shop on the internet of the e-commerce jungle has 243 active listings, where I offer traditional screen printing, vinyl sublimation and the newest technology of printing is direct to garment printing.

Q: How long does it take you to make graphic tees and things like that?

A: In my shop, I have some pre-made designs, and if somebody comes to me with a company logo and if they have their logo ready to go you know, it could be an hour. But if it's just text, something cute to put on a shirt, like “Best Grandpa Ever,” it could be 20 minutes. If it's something super detailed and tiny or very intricate, it could be up to three hours.

Q: How has COVID-19 affected your business?

A: I was fortunate enough to start pretty much right before the lockdown, and all people were doing was sitting at home and shopping, myself included. So, 2020 was really big because people were just buying stuff because they were a home and bored. I feel like 2021 has been more based in reality of how sales will go, but it's still been a pretty successful year for me.

Q: How do you see your business growing after COVID-19 in the future?

A: My shop is not accepting orders after Dec. 6., so when we reopen Jan. 1, we are going to be expanding to include toddler winter ponchos and custom engraved leather patches for beanies.