Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Molloy.
Hi Karen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always loved crafting and being creative. As a young girl, my grandmother and mother taught me to sew, but I did not love it as much as I do now.
During my career as a high school counselor, I dabbled in pottery and jewelry. I then started participating in local craft fairs and found that I really enjoyed meeting people and was astounded by the appreciation they showed towards my craft.
When my friends began having grandchildren, I had a request to make a bow tie for a 1st birthday cake smash photo shoot. Everyone loved it! So, I pivoted and started making bow ties and neckties for babies and toddlers and created an Etsy store.
When my husband and I began having grandsons, I expanded our offerings on Etsy with baby and toddler clothing adding shortalls, longalls, and bubble rompers. Of course, being from the South, I personalized the clothing with appliques, monograms and names. This became a hit at craft shows and increased sales on Etsy.
I retired from the public school system in 2015 and my retirement gift was a two-month stay in Marathon in the Florida Keys. We loved the Keys! We decided that we would try and come back the following year for four months, but we knew we needed to subsidize our venture. So we decided to rent a booth at the Big Pine Key Market the following winter.
After the 2016 holidays, we packed up fabric/machines and temporarily moved our business to the Keys for four months. My husband would go with me every Saturday morning to help me set up for the Market. Again, I loved it! Most of my customers were our age and loved the clothes we created. Great connections were made and then, I was told by a fabulous customer that I should try and jury into the Key West Artisans Market. I was a little nervous about this, but I filled out the application and sent in photos. LKM Studios was accepted!
From 2016 on, my husband and I spend our winters in the Keys showing at the Key West Artisan Market every other Sunday. We have made many friends from our business and continue to renew these friendships as our customers’ children and grandchildren grow. My husband and I get excited when our customers show us pictures of their children or grand wearing our creations. We get our best ideas from our customers, for which we are thankful and we love them dearly!
The other eight months we spend in Edenton, NC and we concentrate on new products and updating Etsy. We usually spend a month on the St. Lawrence River with family and this year we brought our business, machines and all, with us. The only other in-person show we do is the Down East Holiday Show in Greenville, NC.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Covid was definitely an obstacle for us. We were signed up to participate in several shows during 2020, but they were either canceled or moved to an online format which did not work out well. However, on the positive side, we made around 800 masks that we donated to our community, as well as, to friends and family around the US. Also, since shows were canceled, I had the time to revamp our Etsy shop. This turned out to be time well spent since our Etsy sales have increased.
A huge obstacle for me is social media. I much rather be creating, yet to move forward with the business, a social media presence is extremely helpful, if not necessary. Currently, LKM Studios can be found on Facebook and Instagram. As a Grannypreneur, I don’t have the stamina to try Tik Tok!
During the busy holiday season, it is a challenge to keep up with individualized communications with our customers. Many sales are for our handmade apparel that is personalized with a monogram or name to be used for gifts, milestone events or photos. Therefore, I like to provide our customers with computerized drafts of the personalization that they requested to make sure they will love their purchase.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We sew shortalls, longalls, bubble rompers, dresses, and ties. We also personalize shirts, dresses, swimsuits, and baby gifts with embroidered names and monograms.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
The number one (and only) employee at LKM Studios is my husband Mike. When I first got started with children’s apparel, he wanted to learn how to sew. Be careful what you wish for! He has now become our chief tie maker, as well as, giving welcome feedback on new fabrics and embroidery designs. He also does machine maintenance and is the muscle behind our show set-ups.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @lkmstudios_handmade
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lkmstudios/
