Community Highlights: Meet Karen Molloy of LKM Studios

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Molloy.

Hi Karen, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
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 enjoyed meeting people and was astounded by their appreciation of 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, 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 dress 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! During the other eight months we spend in Edenton, NC, 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. We love having a mobile business! The only other in-person show we do is the Down East Holiday Show in Greenville, NC.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Covid was 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 and friends and family around the US. Also, since shows were canceled, I had the time to revamp our Etsy shop. This was time well spent since our Etsy sales have increased. A huge obstacle for me is social media. I much instead be creating, yet to move forward with the business, a social media presence is beneficial, 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, keeping up with individualized communications with our customers is challenging. 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 they requested to ensure they love their purchase.

What matters most to you? Why?
My husband Mike is the number one (and only) employee at LKM Studios. When I 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: lkmstudios
• Other: Etsy – lkmstudios.etsy.com