Meet Kelsey Kerr | Arts & Marketing

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelsey Kerr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelsey, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am originally from Orlando, Florida, but I have deep family ties to Ohio where I’ve lived now since late 2011.

I think that coming from such a big city, with so much cultural diversity and tourism, I was provided with a foundation of seeing how vast the world can be and how much is out there that anyone can be a part of.

I am also fortunate enough to have come from a family with endless talent, creativity, and determination, which has shaped me into the person that I am today.

On my mom’s side of the family, my grandma was a registered art therapist at OSU, and my mom and her three sisters are all incredibly talented artists in a variety of mediums, along with having pursued entrepreneurial endeavors.

My mom has been the biggest influence on my outlook on life and has provided me with the mindset that anything I want to be and anything I want to do is possible, no matter how big or silly it seems. Her constant support, encouragement, and belief in me fuels my ability to believe in myself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am currently the Director and a teacher at The Artisan Shoppe & Studio, the Marketing Specialist for TASC of Southeast Ohio, an artisan product business owner, and I do contracted website and social media work for other local businesses and organizations.

The Artisan Shoppe & Studio is a passion project that my mom and I started back in 2014. This cultural arts non-profit organization was originally started as the “Gallia County Artisan Market”, which was a regular artisan/farmers market event throughout the year. We started this due to the apparent need to give small artisan businesses an outlet to set up and promote or sell their wares since the one local Farmers Market at the time didn’t allow artisans under their by-laws. This market developed into “The Artisan Shoppe”, which served as a retail space for us to sell local artisans’ products full time without them needing to spend the time and energy to set up and tear down at events. In 2015, we expanded to include “The Artisan Studio”, where anyone could come in to use our studio space to work on creating their next masterpiece and artisans could share their knowledge and talents, while giving community members the opportunity to have fun and learn something new, by teaching their own classes. More expansions included adding an art gallery element, with regular shows and receptions, and then most recently, adding in “Retro Bros.”, which includes products like vinyl records, comic books, and more.

Through my work with The Artisan Shoppe & Studio, I, along with my mom when she was originally involved, created new community events as a way to provide something new for our community to enjoy along with serving as fundraisers for our organization. The first event we created was the St. Patrick’s Day Cultural Parade. Like the artisan market, this was a part of our lives in Florida that we wanted to bring to our new life in Ohio. Though it might seem random to some, it was always an important part of the year for us since I’ve been an Irish dancer since I was 5 years old and we always enjoyed the St. Patrick’s Day events that I would perform at. The Gallipolis Fall Festival was the second event that we created to just bring our locals some family friendly fall shopping and activities located in our historical and quaint city park.

TASC of Southeast Ohio is the other non-profit organization that I work for that helps people who are dealing with substance use issues. I’ve been with TASC since 2018 to help with different marketing aspects like creating a new website, elevating our social media and online presence, creating marketing materials, and getting us more involved in community events throughout the six counties that we serve.

In my spare time, I also create my own art and artisan products that I sell in The Artisan Shoppe, online, and at area events. I’m always trying to learn new mediums to expand my product selection and creative skills for that more personal business outlet.

Otherwise, I’ve enjoyed using the skills that I’ve honed through these different jobs to be able to help other businesses and organizations in need, so I take on some contracting work from time to time for those purposes.

All of these career paths stem from my love for creative pursuits and the drive to forge my own path in whatever way that might be. My journey has been far from traditional, but each job and endeavor gives me a new platform to rise to the occasion and learn new things that open doors for future projects. There’s been an ebb and flow with each new path I take, like anything else in life, but I truly believe in the work I do and that faith carries me through any challenges that I face.

The biggest lesson that I’ve learned is that if you have enough passion and the desire to do something, it won’t matter how formal or informal your route is to get there. What is meant to be will find a way, as long as you’re consciously taking steps, big or small, to reach that goal.

What I want people to take away from my story is that I encourage everyone to pursue their passions and be their most authentic selves. It’s never too late to reroute your path, start a new career, or pursue additional education. My mom and grandma have said, “the time will pass anyways”, so you might as well take steps toward living your biggest and brightest potential.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Of course I’d recommend visiting The Artisan Shoppe & Studio/Retro Bros. to find the coolest souvenirs and take some fun classes, but there’s definitely a lot more that our area has to offer too.

In Gallia County, my favorite places to get food would be Bob Evans on the farm in Rio Grande, China One Buffet, Drinx Bar and Grill, The Colony, Reyes Taqueria & Cantina, Tuscany Cuccini, & Lorobi’s Pizza.

My favorite places to visit, hang out, or shop would be Once Again Consignment, Twisted Vine Family Vineyard, Gallipolis Railroad Freight Station Museum, Gatewood Trail System, Raccoon Creek County Park, Willow Wood Antique & Craft Mall, Movie Station, Our House Museum, Silver Screen VII, and the Gallipolis City Park.

Just across the river in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, I would recommend The Mothman Museum & Gift Shop, the Mothman statue, What’s The Scoop, Mothman Blacklight Mini-Golf, The Lowe Hotel, Rio Bravo II, Gallery 409, and Point Pleasant Trading Company.

Those are all my personal favorites to recommend, but there’s even more to do any explore in Gallia County and surrounding areas.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
As mentioned before, my mom, Valerie Thomas, has been my biggest supporter throughout my life by not only providing me with unrelenting encouragement, but having done everything she could to provide me with the best opportunities to explore my interests and have opportunities for personal growth throughout my upbringing.

My mom’s husband, who became my adoptive father, Steve Thomas, is her perfect counterpart, especially in his support for my personal and professional development. He has afforded me so many opportunities to grow and advance my career with my non-profit work in the arts and substance use fields.

Of course there are so many others who have helped me and inspired me along the way, but the last person I want to specifically dedicate this shoutout to, would be my boyfriend and business partner, Morgan.

Morgan is not only incredibly intelligent and business savvy, but his love, passion, and talent across different visual and performing art mediums inspires me to continue to strive to live to my full potential, especially with our non-profit work together.

Website: www.theartisanshoppe.org & www.tascofsoutheastohio.org

Instagram: @the.artisan.shoppe.studio & @tascofsoutheastohio

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheArtisanShoppe & www.facebook.com/RetroBrosShop & www.facebook.com/TASCofSoutheastOH