THE HOME LAB: THE VALUE OF LIFE SKILLS.

• Author: Sasich, Chris
• Position: SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Draper -- Increasingly, it seems like generations of adults are lacking in valuable, everyday life-skills--we all know that person who can't even make toast. For those looking to remedy deficient cooking and sewing skills and instill them in the next generation, THE HOME LAB is here to help.

"We've only been open about a year and a half, but we're trying to phase in more adult classes, evenings and weekends," said Stephanie Paulson, co-owner of The Home Lab. "Ninety-five percent of our business is cooking and sewing classes for kids. We have kids as young as six and up into the teenage years."

The Home Lab offers after-school classes in cooking or sewing, once a week for about 12 weeks per session. These hour-long classes function much the same as a dance or karate class, but instead of teaching unique skills and intangibles, students learn practical life skills. "These skills are something that you'll keep forever and continue to use, probably on a daily basis," said Paulson.

Originally, Paulson and her sister, co-owner Diana Allred, started off as a franchise, but soon found that operating as their own entity allowed them the flexibility to personalize their lessons. That sort of individuality is something Paulson encourages in class. "Even though we're making the same recipe, I like to encourage the kids to tweak it and make it their own," she said. "That's a big thing for me." With sewing...