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- Sara Schiller’s husband and daughter are nonverbal and need full-time care.
- She founded Sloomoo Institute — a slime experience — with a widowed friend.
- She says play is critical for adults as well as kids.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sara Schiller, cofounder of Sloomoo Institute. It has been edited for length and clarity.
My 17-year-old daughter, Sammy, was born with a rare genetic condition called Angelman Syndrome. It causes neurological issues and developmental delays, but happiness is one symptom. Like any mom, I want my daughter to be happy, so I feel that Sammy won the lottery of disability.
Still, she needs more care than a typical child. She attends school and has a full-time caregiver at home, including at night.
Raising Sammy, plus my 13-year-old Charley, has been challenging. Then, 10 years ago, my husband Marc had a stroke. He was in the hospital for six months. Today, he is also nonverbal and needs help with all the activities of daily life.
My cofounder was grieving when she discovered the joy of slime
My best friend Karen has been with me through all of this. She’s known me from the time Sammy was a baby. Loving someone who experiences the world differently changed how both of us see the world.
Karen has been a great support for me, but she’s also had her share of tragedy. Karen’s husband died about eight years ago. Just a few months later, her cousin was murdered in the Parkland school shooting.
I tried to be there for Karen during that time, but she became very depressed, and there wasn’t much I could do to make her feel better. Then she found relief in an unexpected place: slime.
Slime is an activity that my daughters can do equally
All parents are probably familiar with slime. In case you’re not, slime is made from simple materials like glue, water, and borax. It behaves like a liquid and a solid, making it fun to play with.
Karen isn’t a mom, so she first experienced slime when a friend’s daughter brought it to her house. She later told me that four hours of playing passed in a flash. It was the first time she felt joy after losing her husband.
When Karen brought slime to my house, I noticed that Sammy and Charley both loved it. It’s one of very few activities they can do together and be equal, and that meant so much to me.
Five years later, we grossed $39 million
Karen and I became obsessed with slime because we believed it had the power to help people heal. With our shared background in public art, we decided to open a slime experience, beginning with a six-month pop-up in October 2019 in Manhattan.
When 3,000 people visited on the first day, we knew we were onto something big. We looked at each other, like, “What did we create?”
Before our pop-up ended, the city was shut down due to COVID. We stayed open as much as possible and used the pandemic to plan for long-term growth for our company, Sloomoo Institute. Today, Sloomoo has five locations. In 2024, we did more than $39 million in gross revenue.
I’m able to hire help at home to be a better mom and founder
The financial success of Sloomoo has allowed me to know my family will be all right. Taking care of two people who need round-the-clock care for the rest of their lives is a daunting journey to be on. For a long time, I wasn’t focused on killing it at work, because my duties at home demanded so much.
Once I started Sloomoo, I was determined to make it successful. I wanted to show my girls that you can be down and out and still make something momentous and profitable while giving back. Sloomoo not only helps families put down their phones and play together, but we’re also dedicated to making sure 10% of our workforce identifies as neurodiverse.
Today, I have lots of hired help at home. Marc and Sammy both have caregivers, including overnight help. I have a household manager who handles grocery shopping and meal prep tasks. Knowing I can come home to a warm dinner waiting makes me a better mom and entrepreneur.
We want others to experience joy
Sloomoo was born out of the personal trauma that Karen and I experienced. We wanted to use that to help others experience joy.
That’s where slime gets interesting. You might think it’s just for kids, but it’s not. Play is important for adults’ health too, and we have both personally seen that we feel better playing with slime. When people enter our exhibits, they must put down their phones and truly get their hands slimy.
Sloomoo gives people permission to play and connect. We didn’t foresee this when we started the business, but it’s one of the things we value most today.
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