Wendy Goldstein operates a factory unlike any other, 10TV's Andrea Cambern reported.
Goldstein owns Costume Specialists, one of only five mascot makers in the country.
SLIDESHOW: Images Of Mascots | SPECIAL SECTION: Female Focus
She is also the creator of some of the costumes seen at sporting events and business around the U.S.
"I just really love the process of creating things, and I realized there was a market for this kind of a product," Goldstein said.
As a child, her mother taught her to sew and knit and her father taught her to use tools. So when Goldstein graduated from college, she made costumes for stage plays and a department store, Cambern reported.
"You have to do your passion or when times get rough, you'll never make it through," Goldstein said.
The single mother of two children had some rough times until the children's book industry came calling.
"We worked with the publishers and created children's book characters that were used as marketing tools for the bookstores," Goldstein said. "So I say we grew up with the book industry."
With the rise of the Internet, corporations, then college and professional sports teams hired her to bring their mascots to life.
"Totally represents the passion of the team or the passion of the people watching it, absolutely," Goldstein said. "We laugh all the time because when you're in the costumes, your alter ego comes out and we always laugh and say, smile."
Goldstein has also made Sesame Street characters, and the hometown favorite, Brutus Buckeye.
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