NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
Hatter CJ Payeur speaks with a few customers Thursday evening at the Old Tyme Christmas Farmers Market. Payeur sells his Krazy Crayons and donates 25 per cent of his proceeds to the Medicine Hat and District Food Bank.
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@MHNmocranker
Not many 13 year olds can say they run their own business.
Hatter CJ Payeur started CJ’s Krazy Crayons roughly three years ago and has made dozens of appearances at trade shows and markets around the city since his business began.
“I saw a cool looking crayon in my brother’s room and thought ‘why can’t I do that?” said Payeur.
The Grade 8 Irvine School student buys packs of crayons, melts them down in a toaster oven in his garage, then pours the liquid into moulds, to make his Krazy Crayons.
“It’s pretty easy, I just melt them down and pour them into little moulds,” he said. “From there I get different shapes and colours – every one is unique.”
Payeur offers a wide variety of shapes and designs for his product, which he sells in bags of six for $2.
Of that $2, 25 per cent goes directly to the Medicine Hat and District Food Bank.
“It just seems like some people need more help than me,” he said. “Starting up this business seemed like a great way to help.”
To date, Payeur has donated more than $800 to the food bank, which he gives to the organization at the end of the summer.
“I’m definitely a bit surprised,” he said. “I wouldn’t have expected it to be this popular – I didn’t see this becoming such a big thing.”
CJ’s mom, Brandy, says she is proud to see how far the business has come.
