Chapter 10
What started out as a simple idea in 2016 has grown to become one of the most important aspects of our lives in 2026. We've told the story numerous times over the years but it still bears repeating because of just how unlikely it all still feels. One night as I got ready to go to a birthday party I couldn't find any accessories that I felt would go well with my outfit. I decided to go to Michaels and pick out some beads, wire and an agate medallion and make my own necklace to wear. It wasn't something I had ever done before but it just felt right. That evening I got several compliments about my handmade piece with some suggesting that I make more and sell them.
That night I returned home with what I thought was a crazy idea. I told my surprisingly supportive husband that I was going to start my own handmade jewelry business as a side hustle to bring in some extra money. His response, which I thought had no chance at the time, was that I'd have to one day decide whether I wanted to continue my teaching career or run the business full time. I found myself having to make that decision a lot sooner than expected!
We began making necklaces and bracelet stacks at our kitchen table and selling them on Facebook. It was a family affair with my husband and sons helping me fill orders each day after work and school. It wasn't long before we moved from the kitchen table to a spare room in our home as our first official "office". Within 3 short years we had to hire a few friends to help us with making jewelry as well as shipping, customer service, content creation for social media and tracking inventory. Our garage served as our warehouse, a true family run small business.
By our fifth year KC Chic had outgrown our home and needed to be moved out into an actual office space. By this time I had taken a leave from work, which eventually ended up being permanent. I still wasn't ready at the time to fully retire from the profession I had loved for 20 years but my husband was correct in his assessment that the business had become larger than my teaching career and deserved my full attention. I loved being an educator of children with exceptionalities, and will always be one at heart but my passion for fashion couldn't be ignored.
Ten years ago we couldn't imagine we'd be where we are now. From the all the highs and lows to our incredibly supportive customer base, all the insanely talented people we've collaborated with to most importantly, all the true friends we've made along the way! It's been a wild ride that's absolutely been worth every minute of all the blood, swear and tears and we can't to see where KC, with your support, goes next!
