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Tucked in a brick building in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, is a studio with four white walls with highlights of blue and purple furniture, where children go to sew.

At the Brooklyn Stitch Studio, kids ages eight and up dedicate 90 minutes after school to working on self-directed projects — coming out with sweatshirts and zip pouches.

The more sew-savvy kids help out those still trying to get over the learning curve — in the meantime, they form tight-knit groups, and although the shop's owner, Kate Saffady, encourages it, it seems to happen organically as they share the space, she said.

This spring, Saffady saw that the studio was bringing in more revenue than her preschool teaching job, and in June, the 50-year-old left the classroom to run the studio full time.

In 2025, she earned almost $110,000 with her studio while working as a teacher. Year to date, Saffady has earned around $190,000 in revenue and expects additional income in November, when she begins booking the winter session.

In addition to the after-school courses, Saffady also offers private sewing events, birthdays, and one-off adult workshops. She has done everything herself, from building her website to the business's accounting.

"This business is kind of hyperlocal, very specific to this area, so that's why I wanted Brooklyn in it," she said in reference to the studio's name.

Saffady is one of the business owners Business Insider has interviewed for our Cost of the City series, where we report on what it takes to make it work in New York City, one of the most expensive cities in the country.

The Albany-born small-business owner moved to NYC in 1994. She has lived in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, for 25 years.