A few weeks ago I was out painting in Mudd Lake, MN for one of my favorite clients when I passed a cute rustic shop called Kathie’s Finds. I had driven by Kathie’s Finds before but each time would have some reason not to stop. We all know how these things go, you’re in a rush, you may have somewhere important to be. So you say to yourself, NEXT TIME. Well, this time I finally stopped, and I couldn’t have been anymore pleased with what I found.
Kathie was generous enough to find the time to let me interview her during such a busy time. Here is our conversation:
LU: Kathie, Thank you so much for taking the time to interview with me. Your shop is absolutely adorable and just filled with cozy things that I just want to scoop up and have in my home. I was so pleased to be welcomed in by you shortly after I walked into your shop, is this something that most shoppers will experience when they enter Kathie’s place?
Kathie: I am usually always here…….I only hire 1 other person and her name is Anna Tillman and she is a gem. She only works when I absolutely need her and I am pretty much here at the same time as well. There has only been 1 day since opening April 4th that I wasn’t here and that is because my grandson was sick….so to answer your question, yes shoppers will experience meeting me 99% of the time.
LU: Well how very lucky for your customers then! You have quite the array of “finds”, where do you pick up all of your various treasures?
Kathie: One of the best parts of my business is the hunting and gathering of all of my finds. I love the finding of treasures! I go to thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales, and estate sales. I can find something that to the regular person may appear broken or of no use and fix it up, mend the seams, or rid of the stain so it’s as good as new. Because I find my goodies for such a discounted rate I am able to then share them with my clients for such great deals.
LU: I noticed that you had so many furniture pieces just gushing with aged character. You do these pieces yourself, can you tell us a little bit about the process and what inspires you do create this distressed look?
Kathie: I love old things….if it is new it just doesn’t work for me so the aged look just comes so naturally to me. I also do it out of necessity because when I find pieces that are in really bad shape and I put them back together or marry them with some other piece to make it more significant they need to be painted. It is just so much more interesting to make a piece of furniture look married when it is distressed. I also feel that furniture takes on so much depth and a deeper definition when distressed, especially when there is carvings and details there.
LU: You really do have so many treasures Kathie! Out of all of them, what would you say are the three things that Kathie’s Finds is best known for?
Kathie: Definitely one would be my painted furniture which is my mainstay. That is my bread and butter and has been for a long time now. I have been selling my furniture to stores in the city for many years as well as to my own customers. My home accessories just automatically go right along with that…….mirrors are big for me, chandeliers and lamps as well as jewelry…vintage and new.
LU: Oh my goodness, all of that jewelry!!!! All of that heavy costume style and vintage jewelry is so in style right now. I know for sure you love the fun jewelry that you have at the shop but what are a few of your other favorite things that you have for sale?
Kathie: The things that I like the most are the architectural pieces like of course the wood furniture or anything wood with carvings and details on it. for instance right now there is a beautiful dresser with a mirror that has so much character…….it is yummy!!!! Chandeliers are one of my favorite things in this life so there are always chandeliers for sale and tons of them hanging around……
LU: The holidays are just around the corner, what are the kinds of things consumers will find just perfect for stocking stuffer s, or presents?
Kathie: I love the holidays because I love anything that sparkles and I truly believe that everything is better with glitter on it…so if you like glitter this is the place to come. Give me a bottle of glue and some glitter and I could be happy for days. There are so many different things to find here, not like other retail stores that have to buy 6 of the same exact thing . I have so many unique pieces at the shop, especially during the holidays. I only buy things that I love and would have in my own home. Worse case scenario, if the item does not sell I can just bring it inside. There are things priced as low as a dollar so there is a lot for Christmas stocking stuffers and so much more.
LU: You are a woman after my own heart Kathie… Glitter for days… (giggles) I also love how eco-conscious you are. When I was there you showed me your handmade “coffee cup blankets”, they were lovely can you tell us about these, and what they cost?
Kathie: I have a line of what I call “Kathie’s cup cozies” the waste of all the paper sleeves on cups from coffee shops makes me crazy so I came up with my line of these little treasures. They are like my other lines where they are all made from recycled products.The cozies are made from old blankets, coats, sweaters or anything that I find and that can be reused. The coffee houses are buying them as well as direct customers so the idea, the customer buys one and you keep it in there purse, car, jacket or wherever and when you go to buy coffee you just keep using the cozie over and over. It is washable so if you spill there is no problem. It is a no brainer to me…save our landfills and our planets resources instead of using 30 at least in a month if you go everyday….you use your own…over and over and over…good for everybody.
LU: YOU ARE AN ANGEL, this idea is brilliant and I have a feeling we are going to be seeing lots of these Cozies around very soon. Now, you are having a Holiday open house soon, Can you tell us a bit about this and what to expect?
Kathie: This Friday and Saturday December 12th and 13th I am having my Holiday Open House and what that means is it is a thank you to all my good customers and new customers. I am opening up my kitchen and making it all darling for retail as well as serving homemade cookies and cider. So for those 2 days people will have a little more space to shop in at my store. This means more finds and a little bit more of this lovely building to see. It is from 10 – 5 each day. I’ll hope to see you all there!
LU: What’s next in the cards for you and your store Kathie’s Finds?
Kathie: Since we opened April 4th we have opened up 2 rooms to the public and that consists of approximately 700 sq. ft. After the holidays we are starting to work on what we call the big room and hopefully by spring we will have that opened up as well. It is approximately 800 sq feet and will be absolutely lovely. This building has so much character and fits with what we believe in so much. Keeping what is already here and making it better and using it to its full potential. It is a privilege to live here and enjoy it everyday and I love sharing it with all of our customers and friends. I believe that each one of us can do our part by saving our planet one piece at a time.
LU: and lastly, what four things can you just not live with out?
Kathie: The usual things of course…..husband, children, pets….but on a shallower note……I could not live without creating. It is not only what I do but is who I am. Making and fixing things that maybe would have been tossed out or overlooked truly makes me happy. Happy in a way that I never knew before I entered into this wonderful way of life
It was an absolute pleasure meeting you the day you breezed into my shop and brought such a wonderful spirit with you. I know that your life is touching many and you are doing great things to share with others and I admire that in you.
Thank you for your time Alicia and God bless you.
Kathie Armstrong
Awwww, Kathie is an angel, I adore her shop and I adore her. I hope you will find the time to go out and experience her and her fabulous shop sometime in the near future.
For more information on Kathie’s Finds you can visit her website @ Kathiesfinds.com
Happy Holidays to you Kathie, It was truly a pleasure! See you soon!
LULU
