Lauren Taylor, 35, was terrified of spiders.
Growing up, she thought they wanted to crawl all over her and bite her. This changed a few years ago, when she saw a Phidippus regius (or “regal”) jumping spider on social media.
“I was like, that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Taylor told the RN&R.
The social media post prompted her to purchase a regal online. Unfortunately, the spider she was sent wasn’t a regal, so she had to repeat the online ordering process, which, according to Taylor, due to overnight shipping costs, isn’t cheap.
“I’m like, what am I even doing, spending hundreds of dollars on spiders?” Taylor said.
Her fear of arachnids quickly transformed into fascination and love. She made a cute home for her spiders and started selling homemade acorn hides (where the spiders can burrow and make a hammock) on Etsy. The acorn hides took off, and soon after that, Taylor started breeding spiders, which is how Spider Stuff Co. was born.
Taylor’s husband, Tom Hedblom, 41, recently came aboard full time to manage the photography, video, outreach and emails, and the two have been introducing people to the idea of jumping spiders as “cute, tiny pets.” In three years, business has grown from online-only sales to working reptile shows and conventions, and hosting local “spider parties” around Reno.
The most recent spider party, “Spiders & Spirits” took place on Saturday, Jan. 3, at Underworld Distillery. In the back, near the distillery equipment, Spider Stuff Co. had a booth set up where patrons could meet, hold and purchase jumping spiders, and browse handmade spider enclosures (aka “condos”), decor and company apparel.
A crowd formed around the booth as patrons of varying ages browsed the merchandise, played with the spiders and asked questions such as, “What do the spiders eat?” “How big do they get?” and “Do they have fangs?”
One Phidippus otiosus (or “Oti”) male named Snorlax piqued patron Selena Wilson’s interest. After holding the spider in her hands for several minutes, she purchased it, along with a new spider condo.
When asked how she learned about jumping spiders, Wilson said she first saw one while on vacation in Bali. The spider was in the outdoor bathroom, and when she reached for it, the spider jumped on her hand before immediately jumping off.
After returning to Reno, Wilson did some research and found out jumping spiders were a “big thing.” (If you haven’t come across evidence of the trend yet, Etsy has a wealth of jumping spider accessories, merch and dwellings.)
Wilson purchased her first jumping spider from Spider Stuff Co. at their “Tacos and Spiders” event last September at Skyline Café.
“I feel like it makes me super-present and makes me feel like a kid again,” she said. “When I was little, I used to sit in my garden and watch the bees pollinate flowers. So, it kind of just brings me back to my whimsy.”
According to Taylor, the spiders are very low maintenance. Their diet consists of mealworms, one per week, and water, which is spritzed on the walls of the spider’s condo via a spray bottle every other day. Cleaning is minimal and mostly involves wiping up a “little white dot” of feces and removing the mealworm carcass each week from the “feeder dish.”
Male spiders live around two years and females around three. Personalities vary based on the species, and sizes range from the size of a dime to the circumference of a ping pong ball. Like most humans, they sleep at night and are awake during the day. They are also intelligent.
“They’re so smart,” said Taylor. “You would never think about having a relationship with a spider. But once it happens, you’re like, ‘Hey, this is the coolest thing ever.’”
Taylor’s favorite spider is named Barbara.
“She’s all over my Instagram,” said Taylor. “I can just hold her in my hand, and she just sits there. Or she’ll hop to my phone, and I can just be on my phone, and she’s just sitting there hanging out.”
Everyone who adopts a spider from Spider Stuff Co. gets everything they need to get started: live food (10 mealworms), a spray bottle and a paper copy of their Care Guide.
When asked if she was ever bitten, Taylor said, “I’ve never.”
“They give you so many signs,” said Taylor. “They basically flex their teeth out. And then they usually put their arms out to the side to make themselves look bigger. It’s usually only going to happen to if someone’s … poking it with an inanimate object. They hate that.”
Taylor added that a jumping spider’s bite is “not medically significant.”
The main mission of Spider Stuff Co, is to educate the public and help people get over their fear of spiders. Aside from hosting spider parties, Spider Stuff Co. also hosts events at schools.
“This winter, we did three—two in one day,” said Taylor. “We bring other reptiles, too. So, we have bearded dragons and frogs and beetles. All the kids want to hold the roaches. This is so weird. But it’s cool to see kids, you know, be scared of something and then get over it real quick.”
One of Taylor’s goals is to do big school presentations, where the whole school is in attendance.
When asked if her fear of spiders had been completely eradicated, Taylor said, “I love them all. I’m like, ‘You guys are cool.’ Any bugs, too.”
Spider Stuff Co.’s next local spider party, Joysticks and Jumpers, is scheduled to take place from 4 to 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24, at Press Start, at 600 S. Center St., in Reno. The event is all-ages. Learn more at www.spiderstuff.co.