22: The Art of the Pivot with Kristin Williams of Ephemera Paducah

Startist Society

Have you ever wanted a peek inside what it's like to own an art retail store or workshop space? In this week's episode, Laura and Nikki speak to someone who has done just that.

Kristin Williams has spent a lifetime playing with yarn, glitter, clay, rubber stamps, paper, paints and glue. Collage with ephemera and acrylic paints is Kristin's current fascination and the basis for her artwork. A Knoxville, Tennessee native she moved to Paducah, Kentucky in 1996, where she fell in love and put down roots. Her business, Ephemera Paducah, is a culmination of years of dreaming about a creative venture and venue after spending decades in business consulting and economic development. Stocked with all the art supplies and chocolate you could ever want, her studio hosts workshops that attract instructors and students from all over the country.

Kristin is here to tell us about her transition from business consulting to mixed media maven and how her business has changed in the last year.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• Kristin's Startist story (2:07)
• Getting advice from others in your field (7:40)
• Finding Ephemera Paducah’s gorgeous building (9:37)
• Combining workshops and retail sales (11:29)
• Attracting “rockstar” instructors (12:25)
• Effects of COVID on in-person workshops and retail business (14:10)
• Kristin and Seth Apter’s survey (19:38)
• Online vs in-person workshops (21:31)
• Kristin’s Ephemera Workshop Peeps and finding her tribe (26:29)
• Her pivot to online sales and the creation of Sussies (32:34)
• Adding a pop-up shop to the Ephemera Paducah website (36:09)
• Creating a “concierge" workshop experience (42:42)
• Plans for reopening (46:27)
• Kristin’s advice for people just getting started (48:53)
• Figuring out the best use of your money and marketing time (52:04)
• Getting published in Where Women Create (57:37)
• Bonus: Kristin’s husband's Black Walnut Manhattan (we had to talk about bourbon!) (1:04:46)

Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the

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