Business is booming for Haverhill teen on the autism spectrum

HAVERHILL, Mass. — When Covid-19 shut down schools across the Commonwealth, one Haverhill teenager used that time to build a business. And that small business is now bustling.

Dom Bennett found his passion by building birdhouses in the basement workshop of his home. “I make them to make people and birds happy,” Dom said.

He started making birdhouses for teachers, family, and friends during the beginning of the pandemic. They became so popular that he launched a business. It’s called Dom’s Birdhouses. “I realized that if I sold them, then maybe I could make money. So that made me want to open a birdhouse business,” he said.

So far, Dom, who was diagnosed with autism when he was 3-and-a-half years old, has made and sold about 130 birdhouses. “I’ve given them to people and people have said that birds have been moving into those birdhouses,” Dom said.

His mother, Rebecca Bennett, says Dom just loves woodworking and working with his hands and is a great role model to other kids and young adults on the autism spectrum. “We’re just super proud of Dom and we’re super proud of everything he’s done and if we can inspire other families, we’d love to do that,” she said.

Now that we’re in spring Dom’s business is taking off and he’s busy doing what he loves. Dom charges $25 for each birdhouse. You can reach Dom at domsbirdhouses10@gmail.com.

If you have a Positively Massachusetts story idea, contact Boston25 anchor Chris Flanagan at PositivelyMA@Boston25.com.

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