Entrepreneur turns broken toys into something new

from: By KC Santos, loQal.ph / Yahoo! Southeast Asia

PASAY CITY, METRO MANILA – Karlos Lleva loves toys so much he cannot bear seeing them thrown away. With boundless creativity and using polymer clay, he recycles their broken parts and turns them into unique accessories.

With an initial capital of P2,000, Karlos, whose nickname is Kloi, started Kloi’s n Klay’s after discovering that he could turn his hobby into a business venture.

But more than being a source of income, Kloi got into the business out of his personal love for crafting things.

“As a kid, I’ve always been fascinated with making clay pots but I didn’t know then how it works,” Kloi says.

“I used my skills in making props to make my designs stand out,” shares Kloi, who used to volunteer to make stage props in church for the yearly Senakulo.

He also discovered that polymer clay is rarely used to make accessories despite its widespread availability. So he came up with designs that reflect his personal love for toys.

“I stick parts of broken toys and computer parts with polymer so that my designs would look even more attractive,” shares Kloi.

He says he does not really need to invest much since he uses recycled materials. “Children from our neighborhood give me some of their toys that have become worn out or broken in return, I give them some of my finished products.”

Kloi sells  customized watches, clutch bags, cell phone casings, even head phones. Smaller accessories sell for P60 pesos while bigger customized items sell for  a few hundred pesos.

“I want my designs to be marketable to every one, even the older generation,” says Kloi, adding his business has turned in profit after two years.

But Kloi is not rushing to grow his business just yet. For him, what’s important is that he is enjoying himself with his craft.

“This doesn’t feel like work because I’m enjoying it. Don’t be pressured in handling your business because sometimes, when you force yourself to come up with something perfect, what comes out is the opposite.”

Kloi markets his products through bazaars and on the Internet. He has plans of consigning in restaurants in the future but for now, he keeps himself focused on coming out with more creative products.

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