Meet Micki Hardenberg: Actor, Singer, Dancer, & Creator of Made By Micki

We had the good fortune of connecting with Micki Hardenberg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Micki, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Made By Micki has a bit of an unusual origin story I would say. I was working as an actor on the First National Tour of the musical Bandstand when things started to shut down back in March. I was laid off from my job like so many others and I found myself with a little too much time on my hands. I knew pretty quickly that I would need some creative projects in order to keep myself sane so I decided to dive into the world of drag. I started by learning about makeup and then eventually became fascinated with wigs made from unconventional materials, stuff like yarn, paper, and even safety pins. I had nothing better to do, so at the end of April I decided to make a wig of my own. I had never crocheted before in my life, but I ordered some yarn online and in the week I waited for it to arrive, I learned the basics of crochet from YouTube. I finished my wig a week later and I was hooked – crochet pun 100% intended! As I tried to figure out the best way to make use of this new skill, a friend showed me a blanket she had made for a transgender person in her life. It was just like on of those lightbulb moments you see all the time in cartoons. All at once I realized that I could continue crafting and crocheting while also raising money for different LGBT+ organizations if I sold handmade items online. What started as a lost job and an interest in drag ended in a new crochet business. Go figure! I spent every minute of the next month putting together my first product collection while figuring out prices, shipping, and the like so that I could open my shop in time for Pride Month. It was a mad dash towards the end of May, but I’m proud to say that on June 1, 2020, Made By Micki was born. 

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Made By Micki is a handmade shop selling queer pride crochet items. I think what sets it apart from some other crochet shops is the focus on giving back to the queer community. Right now all items are available in rainbow, trans, and bisexual pride flags but I’m working on adding lesbian and nonbinary pride flags by the end of the month. Custom orders are also more than welcome! Ultimately, I want all queer identities to feel represented. I also want buyers to know that they are not only supporting a queer business, but they are supporting a queer business that donates to queer nonprofits. Currently, 5% of every sale is donated to the Ali Forney Center for LGBT+ youth experiencing homelessness. That donation at the end of each month is definitely what makes me most proud of my handmade shop. Made By Micki is still a baby business having just started up in June 2020, so I’m learning these days about the importance of consistency, planning, and marketing. No one ever said starting a business was easy, but I hope to keep Made By Micki going even after the pandemic is over in order keep serving the queer community. The world could always use another crocheted rainbow!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since I’m an actor living outside NYC, the first thing to pop into my head was Broadway. You can look up every show’s rush ticket policy online or visit the TKTS booth in Times Square for discount ticket prices. I’ve seen countless shows on the Great White Way and I’ve never paid full price. My favorite lunch spot is a restaurant called the Melt Shop. They sell artisan grilled cheese with a side of tater tots. What’s not to love? Beyond that, there are tons of great places to eat in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. And for dessert you can grab a cookie at Schmackary’s. Their funfetti cookie is my go-to snack after an audition. I personally don’t drink so I don’t really know my way around the bars of the city but I know there are plenty of gay bars with great drag shows every night of the week. I’ve personally been to Hardware a couple times but I’ve heard good things about Industry and Therapy and some other places as well. For hanging out, I personally love heading to one of the many parks in New York or a museum. I love museums and there are a ton of interesting ones in New York City. You can’t go wrong with somewhere like the Met or the MoMA. That’s only scratching the surface of what NYC has to offer. I personally have only made my way around parts of Manhattan and there’s so much more city to see!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to take this opportunity to shout out New York City drag queen Cacophony Daniels. By day, she goes by the name Courter Simmons and I had the privilege of working with Courter during my first professional acting job after college. When I had decided to start Made By Micki, I had a limited number of LGBT+ organizations I was aware of and I wanted to broaden that awareness before deciding where to donate money. I ended up polling a number of queer friends and Courter suggested that I donate to the Ali Forney Center for LGBT+ youth experiencing homelessness. I’ve been donating there since opening the shop in June and that’s all thanks to Courter! Of course, this shoutout would not be complete if I did not encourage everyone to check out Cacophony Daniels online. She sings live at all of her shows and belts outs songs written for female voices better than many female voices you’ve heard. Just search “Cacophony Daniels as Belle” on YouTube and you’re in for a real treat!

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MadeByMickiCrafts
Instagram: @madebymickicrafts
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madebymickicrafts

Image Credits
Corey Rives Micki Hardenberg