By Joy Bergmann
Caroline Gati’s tiny hands are moving at a quickening pace. She’s kneading a fresh batch of her SlimeCity slime and reaching a crucial moment in the production process.
“I love the sound the slime makes. It’s very crackle-y,” says the third-grader from her dining table factory on the Upper West Side. “It feels very smooshy. It’s stretchy, not sticky. The feel relaxes me. It feels really good.”
Gati, 8, started her online slime business a few months ago. Her mission? For more kids and kids-at-heart to share in the joys of this glorious goo-putty substance. “It’s a great toy. There’s endless things you can add into it,” she says. “It’s so much more entertaining than staring at a screen.”
Her artisanal slimes start with two ingredients: Elmer’s Glue and Elmer’s Magical Liquid, an “activator” that transforms the glue into a squeezable form. From there, she composes new [non-edible!] “flavors” with creative mix-in ingredients, scents and colors, often inspired by her daily life and loves.
Gati’s been a devoted coffee drinker since age two. Ergo, Coffee Cold Brew slime. She’s never been one to turn down an icy treat either. Voila! Blue Raspberry Slushie slime.
“One of my new ones is Snowball Fight. It has foam beads in it that look like snowballs,” she says, opening a jar with pride before grabbing another. “And this one’s Dragon’s Blood. It’s really pretty because it’s metallic-y. And it comes with a mystery charm.”
Like any budding tycoon, Gati keeps one eye on the competition while dreaming up new products. “There’s one store that has, like, 20 slimes in stock. So I have to try to keep up with them.”
She’s got a solid team behind her. Older sister Abigail lends a hand at the factory. Big brother Eli contributes grassroots marketing. And mom Allison and dad Dan have proven to be valuable, teachable workers. “They actually learned how to make slime,” she says. “They also help me pack orders.”
So far, SlimeCity has shipped to customers around New York City as well as Chicago, California and Maryland. To help build a loyal following, Gati makes sure every box includes a special surprise to complement each $10 slime.
Her ultimate goal?
“What I hope is that everybody will love slime as much as I do.”
Hey, Caroline made the Rag! The slime is pretty great, and the kids love it. And her mom isn’t just good at packing and shipping slime — in her spare time she’s a pretty amazing pediatrician as well!
Gati’s motive is the purest and loveliest of all: to hope others will also love and enjoy what she has come to love and enjoy. Utterly delightful.
Thank you for sharing this story. We need a bit of a good news these days. Good luck to Caroline!
Caroline’s slime is the best ever!! Thanks for the awesome flavors and quick shipping!!!
We are proud customers of the Gati slime!
It came with adorable packaging and our kids haven’t stopped playing with it!
Highly recommend bubblegum!
Rachel
Wow! Caroline you made my day!
We need lots more women in business👏👏👏