EXCLUSIVE: Teen Entrepreneur Amazed By Support From Hallmark Stars

Sloane Conway / Getty 15-year-old Sloane Conway's handmade hats have attracted famous fans including Hallmark's Ashley Williams, her sister Kimberly Paisley-Williams and Lacey Chabert

Like many high school sophomores, Sloane Conway says time management is a challenge as she tries to balance schoolwork with her favorite extracurricular activities including Student Council and competitive Irish dancing. Unlike most 15-year-olds, however, Conway has also managed to squeeze running a thriving business into her hectic schedule, by knitting colorful winter hats that, to her delight, have become a favorite item among some of Hallmark Channel‘s biggest stars.

The teen’s SloaneMade hats have been celebrated on social media by Hallmark talent including Ashley Williams, who calls Conway “magical,” and were part of Lacey Chabert’s wardrobe in 2022’s hit Christmas movie, “Haul Out the Holly.” In an interview with Heavy, Conway said she “could not be more grateful” for the opportunities and exposure the network and its stars have provided.

How Did Teen’s Homemade Hat Wind Up in a Hallmark Movie?

HallmarkLacey Chabert wears a hat made by teen entrepreneur Sloane Conway during a scene in “Haul Out the Holly”

Conway, who lives with her family in Nashville, told Heavy that her grandma taught her how to knit and crochet when she was little, but that she didn’t get “serious” about it until she was seven. It was then that her mom said if she made 50 items, she could enter a local kids’ craft fair.

“I am very goal-oriented, so I worked hard and did that quickly to enter the Fall craft fair,” she said, adding that a Chicago toy store asked to carry her items the rest of that year, which further motivated her to build her own business.

“Since then, to work on scaling my business, I’ve been participating in craft fairs, selling through my own Etsy shop, setting up pop-up shops in buildings and in neighborhoods, and taking custom orders,” she said.

Sloane ConwayTeen entrepreneur Sloane Conway with some of the hats she’s created for Hallmark Channel stars

Conway said her parents, both advertising executives, have shared her wares with some of their contacts over the years, which resulted in Hallmark Channel execs ordering 40 hats to give to staff and talent who attended the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Conway, who knits orders for customers on the weekends and sometimes even during lunch at school, said she devoted her Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks to knitting all 40 hats for Hallmark.

Chabert was among the stars who received a SloaneMade hat and, unbeknownst to Conway, took it with her to the film shoot for “Haul Out the Holly.” When the comedy premiered in November 2022, the actress posted a screenshot of her wearing the hat during one of the scenes and tagged Conway in her Instagram Stories. Conway shared the post, adding a photo of herself covering her mouth in shock.

A longtime fan of the Hallmark Channel, Conway told Heavy she has “so many memories with Hallmark Christmas movies around the holiday season” that it was amazing to see her own creation in one of them. Hallmark ordered another 40 hats for their 2023 Sundance event; Conway estimated that the network’s two orders have taken 250 hours to create.

“It is a huge time commitment but so worth it,” she said.

Ashley Williams Shares Why She’s Such a Fan of SloaneMade

Williams was among the stars who received the latest batch of SloaneMade hats while at Sundance with her Hallmark colleagues in January 2023. While there, she posted an Instagram video wearing her mustard-colored cap and tagged Conway’s SloaneMade Instagram account.

Andrew Walker’s wife, Cassandra Troy, also featured the hats in her Instagram Stories during the gathering in Utah, writing “Congratulations on your biz @sloanemade … These tuques are perfection”

Williams’ support of the teen entrepreneur didn’t end at Sundance. On February 2, the “Five More Minutes: Moments Like These” star posted another Instagram video of her having fun trying on multiple hats made by Conway.

She wrote, “Ahhhhh!!! Ya’ll the chick who knit these hats is 15 years old! Her name is sloane and she’s the cutest thing. And she GAVE me these hats as a gift but said I had to choose one to give my sister.”

Williams’ famous sister, fellow actress Kimberly Paisley-Williams, chimed in about how excited she was to get her hat, which prompted a fan to suggest that they “start your own sisterhood of the traveling hats and share ‘em all.”

Chabert jumped into the comments, joking that she was happy to brainstorm ideas to help make that happen, and added, “I love these hats as well! I wore mine in Haul out the Holly. Sloane is so talented!!”

Williams, who launched the Make Her Mark program in 2022 to mentor and champion female directors at Hallmark, is more than happy to support an up-and-coming female entrepreneur like Conway.

“Sloane is one of those magical, hardworking angels that you know will achieve amazing things in life,” she told Heavy via email, adding that she’s genuinely enamored with Conway’s creations. “I truly don’t understand how her knitwear is so solid AND soft at the same time. I’m a huge fan!”

Conway says the stars’ support has not only been meaningful but also helpful to her growing business, bringing in at least 30 new orders for her colorful hats.

“Lacey Chabert and Ashley Williams are two of the kindest, most down-to-earth, approachable, and appreciative celebrities,” she told Heavy. “I really could not be more grateful!”

Conway hopes to continue growing her business with additional products and hopes a future creation will appear in another movie.

She said, “I would love to be able to do this my whole life, because it really is my favorite hobby!”