SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Meet Effie Levenson! She’s the 17-year-old entrepreneur in Saratoga Springs that’s making a name for herself for her custom Schleich model horses and accessories.

The teen crafter and creator has loved horses since she was four years old, when she started horseback riding. While most girls her age were playing with Barbie dolls, she was collecting miniature model horses.

In 2019, she had a lot of free time on her hands during the Covid-19 pandemic and picked up the hobby again. Using her artistry to make custom accessories for the models and painting her own horses. After sharing her crafty creations on social media, her followers and subscribers asked to purchase her work.

After requests started coming in from around the world, she decided to open a little boutique for the horses. Her business started on Etsy and grew into its own website and endeavor called Sugar Rose Studios.

With thousands of followers on Instagram and YouTube, she credits her growth on social media for much of her success.

“I get a lot emails from like girls who say ‘you’ve really inspired me to be creative you’ve made me want to start my own business’ and that really makes me feel good and I think that’s what just makes it worth while,” she said.