Kids generally have wild dreams of what they want to become as they grow up.   Kumei Norwood has always desired to become an artitist and she has taken steps to make her dream become a reality.  Tofu Tees was founded in 2016 when she was only 8 years old. Her store, Tofu Tees, is located online and in downtown Las Vegas. Her mission is to make people smile while also provoking deeper thoughts.

“Tofu Tees Mission is to make people laugh/smile while provoking deeper thought about social issues around our community, nation and planet,” explains Tofutees.weebly.com.

She had a pop-up at Market in the Alley, but she eventually grew into her own shop. She has created so many amazing pieces that have deep meanings. She covers topics such as racism, feminism, equality, and much more. One of her most popular designs is the “Why Are Peopl So Sensitiv?” has a great story behind it.

“Here is the story of how WAPSS (Why Are Peepl So Sensitiv) came to be. A few years ago my mom and I were looking through old notebooks and sketch pads. We found ourselves laughing about some of the ridiculous things in my books. In one of the last books we looked through we found that I had written, “Why Are Peepl So Sensitiv?” We wondered why a 6 year old me wrote that. I couldn’t remember why I wrote it. We decided that I should share it with the world by putting that slogan on tees, and well, here we are!” states Norwood’s website.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Photo Courtesy of: tofutees.weebly.com

This is Kumei's ad/2nd logo.

Back in 2017, she was recognized in the Las Vegas Review Journal with her own story and how she got started. The WAPSS was misspelled and her mom thought it was cute, so she kept it. She always considered herself silly, so she used that slogan for a zine, and showed it off at a zine pop-up show in July which got around 50 visitors. At 9, she was the 2nd youngest artist there, behind Gavin Perez, a 6-year-old artist.

“She said that she was nervous at the July event at first because she wasn’t sure if people would like her work, but she ended up making about $100. She sold copies of her zine for $2 each, and the T-shirts were $10 for youth sizes and $12 for adults. She also traded art with other artists,” said The Las Vegas Review Journal.

Last summer, she invited her social media followers to join her “Kids Against Racism” rally. Hundreds of families came to speak up. Her powerful message says that even though we are only kids, we will not be kids forever, so it’s important to speak up about what is right. She ends with “We are the future!”

Supporting local businesses is important for the community, and it’s especially important to support kids with big dreams that will change the world.