By MATT PATNEAUDE

Dana Cattani knew she was on to something.

Something so exciting that, for several months, her mind kept racing, allowing her only four hours of sleep a night. And when sleep did come, a notebook was kept nearby to jot down any nocturnal ideas.

The reason for Cattani's excitement? She had come up with an idea for a new business to serve what she believed was an unfilled niche in Seattle: craft malls.

Cattani's brainstorm resulted in the opening a year ago of You Made It, a shop located at 8408 Greenwood Ave. N.

Crafters rent space in the store by the square foot and also pay a small commission on sales.

Despite having a Master's degree in human development counseling from Bradley University, Cattani struggled to find a job in that field when she moved to Seattle two years ago. After spending time working as a bakery supervisor, she decided to research starting her own business.

While she had always thought about opening her own counseling service, Cattani never planned on running a craft mall. That changed one day as she searched for a place to sell some fabric covered photo albums that she had made. "Outside of craft fairs, there was no place to sell them," says Cattani.

Her idea took shape as she spent a few hectic months researching different consignment shops and craft fairs, talking to crafters, and making calls to craft malls in the Midwest to get a feel for their set-up. "No one around here was familiar with the concept. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy," she says.

At the grand opening for You Made It, 25 crafters had their work on display. Currently, about 75 different crafters are involved in the store. "There has been a great response," says Cattani.

Featured are handcrafted goods such as jewelry, candles, pottery, ceramics, toys, glass art, journals, framed art, and pet accessories. Crafters get paid based on total sales minus rent and a 10 percent commission.

The response has been so good that there is a waiting list for jewelry displays. However, areas are available for other types of crafts. Those interested must submit a sample of work so that Cattani can verify quality and control the overlapping of products.

Cattani says that most of artists who sell their work at You Made It are "grandmas down the street or housewives." Many have done crafts as a hobby but never had the motivation to do traditional craft fairs. Professional artists also like the store because it is a place where their work can be displayed constantly.

Unlike craft fairs, artists don't need to work at their booth or area. No time is spent setting up and taking down displays. Crafters check in two or three times a month to monitor inventory. Prices are set by the artists and sales tax is handled by the store, so a business license isn't needed. Cattani will soon be putting her counseling background to work by offering women's enrichment and grief support classes in the upstairs portion of You Made It. Also scheduled are a variety of craft classes for kids and adults.

Like most business owners, Cattani is still very busy. But at least now her mind isn't racing so fast that she can't sleep at night.