
OUR ORIGINS
Driven to Make a Difference
Hey! Welcome to Kate by Rolfes Custom Design. I'm Kate, the owner of this sustainable small business and I'm excited to share my story with you.
You see, it all started in Kindergarten with the Reading Rainbow Book Contest. My teacher encouraged me to enter, so, my Mom and I spent the next several weeks practicing drawing the characters and writing the story. In the end, my book, "Kitty and Tim," won and was featured at the end of an episode! Ever since that moment, I have been obsessed with art.
Fast forward a few years, and I ended up at Bucknell University, majoring in Markets, Innovation, and Design, with a concentration in Studio Art. It allowed me to follow my passion while also giving me an excellent background in business.
Post-college, I interned at L.L.Bean. I was wildly excited but once I showed up, I was not a huge fan of the job. I talked to my manager at the end of the summer, and he mentioned his wife had opened a “Paint and Drink” studio in Portland. After patiently answering my barrage of questions, Corey said, “You know, you need to do something like this. Your eyes light up when you talk about it.” I knew he was right but I was 21 with mountains of student loans so did I listen? No.
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