When University of Detroit Mercy freshman Madelyn Bahoora and her sisters had to find a first communion gift for their cousin, they wanted something that was going to stand out and be sentimental. Their mother suggested they get a rosary as a gift, and the always crafty sisters decided to take it to the next level by making it themselves.
Friends and family were impressed with their work, and many requested personalized rosaries of their own. So the Bahoora sisters — Madelyn, Taylor and Danielle — decided to turn their gift idea into a business. Createmyrosary.com launched in 2016, and the three work together to create customized rosaries for a growing clientele.
“Once we showed them to friends and family, everyone told us to start making them,” Madelyn said. “Our house is filled with rosaries.”
She continues to work on rosaries as she attends Detroit Mercy as a Biology major. Commuting from her hometown of West Bloomfield, she was drawn to the University by the 5-year PA program.
The sisters have always been crafty, making bracelets and necklaces together since they were little. It only took a few YouTube tutorials for the sisters to learn how to make rosaries with any design possible. It takes around two hours to make a rosary, depending on the amount of customization. Customers can choose their chain and bead colors, select different crucifixes and centers, and add caps to the larger beads.
They also offer name customization, so customers can have the names of loved ones they want to keep in their prayers as beads of the rosary. The sisters work together, each making their own part and finally stringing them together to make the finished product.
“Lots of people do the names of first communion candidates on the beads,” Madelyn said. “People also put photos of passed loved ones, or family portraits on the rosary.”
Finding time to run their business while working and attending classes can be difficult. As Madelyn studies at Detroit Mercy, Taylor is finishing her undergrad at Oakland University, majoring in biology in hopes of becoming a physician assistant as well. Danielle works for Ascension Urgent Care.
Createmyrosary.com gets a large number of orders around Easter and Christmas, right around the time Madelyn and Taylor are preparing for exams. During these busy times the sisters share the work to keep it from becoming overwhelming.
“If one of us has an exam, the other two will help out more,” Madelyn said. They like working together, and hope to keep it a family business.
Making rosaries has also strengthened their relationship to the rosary itself.
“We sometimes pray together while working on the rosaries,” Madelyn said.
“Growing up, we were taught that nothing is more important than our faith,” Taylor added.
The sisters hope to take their business further.
“We grew up watching Shark Tank together, and we always talked about taking Create My Rosary to Shark Tank,” Madelyn said.
In the meantime, they have expanded into other products. They now offer customizable backpacks, stethoscope tags, baby onesies, and stuffed animals with a newborn’s name and weight stitched right onto it.
“We want to take our business further, but it is done as a family, and that will not change,” Madelyn said.
For more information, visit createmyrosary.com.