Designs By Scamper

What do you do when you fight hard for your dreams and life just doesn’t work out? You take the age old saying of “Try, try again,” dust yourself off, and keep on fighting. 

But what happens then though if life still doesn’t work out?

That’s where the entrepreneurial story of Jim and Jenny Penny, owners of Designs by Scamper (@designsbyscamper), begins. 

The two always dreamed of a family, but, after years of trying, they learned they were unable to conceive a child. Determined to make their dreams a reality, the couple turned to adoption. 

Unfortunately, they quickly realized the high cost of adoption. 

Unable to find the tens of thousands of dollars necessary for adoption, the couple chose to take fate into their own hands.

“We’ve just always been kind of handy and like making things,” Jenny Penny said. “Before we started the business, we would make gifts for family and friends for holidays and stuff around the house.”

The couple channeled their creative energy and hand skills into a new business: Designs By Scamper, with the initial goal of raising money to facilitate their dream.

Designs by Scamper sells its variety of goods online and in-store at Northside Marketplace at 21 Furnace St. in Akron. Northside Marketplace has been home for the Pennys since July 2024 after Jenny Morrison, owner of 224 Creations (also located in Northside) and other vendors recommended that they move into one of the available spaces.

Since going live in 2022, Designs by Scamper has been a business fueled not just by a love for crafting and a desire to adopt, but also by the Penny’s love for animals.

Designs by Scamper is named after the couple’s dog, Scamper, who died of cancer in 2015. In addition, all of the business’ product departments are named after each of their other animals, each with stories behind them. The departments include Finn’s Kitchen, Ollie’s Toybox, Benji’s Bandanas, Ruger’s Rustic Creations, Summer’s Suncatchers, and Tucker’s Treasures.

“We’ve just had a real good passion for animals, both of us, so it just seemed fitting with the business being named after one of the dogs, let’s just continue it,” Jim Penny said.

While Summer’s Suncatchers came from a creative use of alliteration, Finn’s Kitchen exemplifies their dog Finn’s love for the kitchen. Finn can always be found perched on a rug in the kitchen, watching the couple cook. Other departments such as Ollie’s Toybox illustrate their dog Ollie’s love for toys and Ruger Rustic Creations illustrate their late dog, who loved to be outside.

All together, these product lines create a unique variety of items for consumers to purchase.