About barely tolerant
barely tolerant is a creative outlet for all the different versions of me — the reader, the feminist, the questioner, the sports parent, and the person who lets her latest fixation consume her completely.
That shows up in different ways. There are designs inspired by books and my love of reading, my fascination with history, things worth questioning and pushing back on, and the particular chaos of life on the sidelines. Others exist because something caught my attention, clung tight, and refused to let go — for a while, at least.
Turns out, there's plenty of room for all of it.
How it started
Hi, I’m Stephanie. I work in healthcare, I’m a mom, and I have a bad habit of turning a casual interest into hours of late-night research.
While I always hoped my dream of owning a shop would eventually lead to a cozy brick-and-mortar coffee shop filled with books, barely tolerant was actually born out of a very practical sports-mom dilemma: club volleyball fees.
Club sports are incredibly expensive. Armed with a Cricut and a lot of determination, I originally planned to make a few T-shirts to sell locally to help cover the costs.
But as I started planning, the idea kept growing. What started as a way to help pay for volleyball gradually became something much bigger.
Throughout it all, I’ve kept one rule: Would I actually choose this?
Would I wear it? Carry it? Put it on my desk? Give it to someone I love? Would it make me laugh, think, or want to know more?
If the answer is no, it probably doesn’t belong here.