On the Importance of Supporting Small Business Owners
Featuring: Katrina Kelley, Owner at Amphitrite Studio
Hello readers and welcome to the second edition of Sustainability Sundays (first edition can be found here!). This week, I’m focusing on the power and tenacity of small business owners, as a planet-saving tactic. The people (behind these businesses) I have in mind are the ones conscious about the myriad issues facing our blue planet, and also the ones trying to do something about it. These people have their own personal concerns they are dealing with, and they weave their experience into their work. It is therefore really, really important for us consumers to be supporting them!
Today, I’m excited to highlight an incredible midcoast Maine small business owner in this space: Katrina Kelley, owner of and seamstress extraordinaire at Amphitrite Studio.
Where In the World Are We?
Amphitrite Studio lies nestled in the heart of my very favourite part of Maine: Newcastle. There, Katrina hand-sews beautiful home goods made from natural textiles; is a plant-propagator and avid gardener; and is very much an intentional liver of life. Her wares are simple yet complex; classy, yet down to earth.
As weird timing would have it, Katrina and I never crossed paths while I was living in Maine (it turns out, just a few miles away from her studio!) but somehow through the magic of the Internet (or, Instagram) I found her account and fell in love: hook, line, and sinker. What initially drew me in was her attention to detail and the way she threads stories of her life in Maine into her work. But if I’m being totally honest, it was the jumper that really did me in.
You see, along with her offerings of hand-sewn home goods, she also produces made-to-order clothing. One of those garments is a jumper that I drooled over for literally months. Last year, just as the pandemic was settling in, I took the plunge and finally invested in this magical piece of clothing. It truly is magical and not only for its multi-functionality, something that is a boon to my attempt at a smaller wardrobe. It’s also magic for my skin, which has recently been experiencing weird rashes. Oh, and, because it was made-to-order, it fits me like a literal second-skin (and I wear it as such). Magic, I tell ya!
But before I go off on a tangent about this jumper, which I will do in my next post, let’s get back to Katrina and her studio.
Meet Katrina
Katrina lives and works in midcoast-Maine. For her, making things is second-nature. She credits her mother with teaching her about value, durability, and timelessness and she has taken these lessons into her business.
“From the moment I entered this world, my mother taught me right. In life, she taught me value, durability and timelessness. I learned how to make things at a young age and have always had the drive to make things.“
Katrina Kelley, Amphitrite Studio
Katrina’s mother passed away last year, after a long battle with cancer. Katrina was her mother’s sole caregiver, a task that, as anyone who has walked this path will know, is at once a gift and challenge. From Katrina’s tribute to her mother after her passing, it is clear that the lessons her mother taught her will continue to live on through Katrina’s work at Amphitrite Studio.
Bring On the Plant Love
You’ll notice I also mentioned that Katrina is a plant-propagator. Growing gardens and living off the land has helped inspire this love of plants, but so too did Katrina’s career as a florist in her twenties. As she puts it, “I love any kind of fresh flowers and think every home should have houseplants to grow and bring life.” I couldn’t agree more – her posts have certainly inspired me to pick up a few of my own fresh houseplants (including a pathos similar to the photo below 😊).
Material vs. Immaterial
To observe Katrina’s business and the way she operates her own life is to observe a relationship between the material and immaterial. Katrina creates quality, material products and grows beautiful plants, but she also is highly skilled at making connections to that which cannot be touched physically: love, compassion, and intention. Through her goods, her customers access new ways of being that are slower, more careful, and thoughtful. Through her words and stories that she shares, her customers connect with her on a deeper level than just the material goods.
This is really what attracted me to Amphitrite Studio: that Katrina helps encourage her customers to re-think the items that grace their tables, their kitchens, their bodies, and their minds! Do we really need 10 shirts or a 6-pack of paper towels? Or, can we make do with one, well-made, high-quality shirt and four, durable, hand-sewn tea towels, able to be washed and reused again and again. How are we living our lives? Is it with integrity, intention? Are we telling our loved ones that we love them, regularly? These are the things that come to mind when I see the work Katrina is doing.
Small Businesses Owners: Planet-Savers
This blog – Seven In the Ocean – is dedicated to sharing sustainability success stories, particularly ones that connect back to the health of our planet, and our oceans. When we think of the health of our oceans, the issues that come top of mind are usually things like plastic pollution or climate change. But it goes beyond that: our consumptive, often “disposable” lifestyles are really driving a lot of these issues: fast fashion and paper towels included.
Katrina’s business is the antithesis to that. This is an uphill battle, and it’s not always easy – especially as a small business owner. It is always a challenge for small business owners to operate in a big business-driven world but last year was…unexpected, trying, difficult, stressful…you pick! But, pandemic or no, this is a battle that Katrina feels called to fight. She is an everyday earth hero, trying to make a difference in her own community. In doing so, she is also having a positive impact on this planet, and on our oceans.
Connections to the Sea
Katrina first trademarked the name “Amphitrite Studio” in 2000, well before ever starting her business. But where did the name “Amphitrite” come from?
“Amphitrite is the name of the Goddess of the Sea in Greek mythology. She was the wife of Poseidon and ruler over the sea creatures. A woman I’ve always felt akin to…I just knew that it was the name I wanted. (Plus when your name starts with A, you’re at the top of the alphabetical lists!)”
Katrina Kelley, Amphitrite Studio
It’s fitting then, that the work Katrina engages in is like a healing salve, for ourselves and for our watery planet. With each stitch, she is creating something long-lasting, and with low-impact. She is also repairing our relationship with our clothing, and with durable goods. This gets an A+ in my book!
Choosing Chemical-Free, Sustainable Materials
For Katrina, using sustainable, quality materials for her wares goes beyond planetary health, although that is definitely a determining factor. For her though, there is the very real issue of human health.
We focus so much on what we breathe, eat and even skincare, but far too often people overlook what they put on their skin for fabrics. For example, most 100% cotton is processed with formaldehyde… Do you want that soaking into your skin?
Katrina Kelley, Amphitrite Studio
Yikes! No, thanks!
The Jumper
Katrina thoughtfully included a fragrant, lavender pouch along with the jumper itself! 
The jumper, in action (photo credit: Jan Vozenilek). 🙂
I’ll be diving a bit deeper into this jumper and why I love it so much in my next post, but for now, let’s start with this:
My introduction to Katrina’s shop – and my first purchase – was that magical Bamboo Jersey Jumper I mentioned earlier. I purchased it for a few reasons:
- I wanted to add a timeless, versatile, and comfortable garment to my wardrobe.
- My skin was breaking out in unexplained rashes and my clothes were starting to hurt.
- I have always wanted to invest in clothes that truly fit me.
It turns out that I’m not alone in my strange skin issues. One of the reasons Katrina uses light-weight, organic, and chemical-free textiles in all of her products is because she herself has struggled with strange skin allergies as an adult. To find answers, she began researching different fabrics and why certain ones affected her more than others. By limiting the materials she uses in her shop to those that are better for our bodies and the planet, she’s helping promote sustainable textiles and healthy skin.
The Benefits of Supporting Small Businesses Owners
For all these reasons, plus one more, is why we should all be supporting business owners like Katrina. The “plus one more?”
The service*. For the service alone, I would go to the ends of the earth. Here’s what I mean:
I have always struggled to find clothes that really felt like they “fit” me, especially pants. As a woman, I don’t feel like this is a particularly unique experience, sadly. It has gotten to the point where I avoid (like the plague) buying pants because the idea of having to try on 20 pairs of jeans and having 0 fit right, makes my stomach turn. I’d rather do just about anything else.
My experience working with Katrina to bring my jumper into being was not like this. Katrina worked with me, one-on-one, to determine my sizing and measurements, to a T. She made suggestions, asked questions, and provided me with updates along the way. And of course, she hand-stitched this garment and packed it with care. The result is a timeless piece of clothing with such a story, time, and energy behind it. A piece of clothing that will grace my wardrobe for, I hope, the rest of my life.
*I should perhaps mention that not all small business owners operate their businesses as Katrina does. In my personal experience with several small business owners though, I have found overwhelmingly that the service I receive from them is typically far and way superior than anything I’ve ever received at a big-box store. 🙂
Small Business Impact On Communities (and, a rant)
We hear it said often, especially these days, that small businesses are the backbone or cornerstone of our communities. They make our communities better and it’s not always in dramatic, obvious ways. Katrina is empowering her customers in a form of quiet rebellion against the status quo:
I offer local alterations and seamstress services to help folks keep their clothing lasting longer, which leads to less waste and more sustainability.
Katrina Kelley, Amphitrite Studio
She’s also been able to connect with her community in unique ways, through her work as a seamstress. One of those ways? Working with brides to help design or alter their wedding gowns. Her work in this arena is akin to true art, but for Katrina, the real treasure is experiencing gratitude from brides-to-be. “…Their gratefulness is always so heartwarming. It’s such a good feeling to have a positive effect on someone’s most important day.”
(The Rant)
Despite all these incredible, positive impacts that small business owners play in this world, we still as a society allow big-box stores to come into our communities and mow down our small business economies. It doesn’t make sense and is mind-numbingly frustrating. The pandemic has, in many ways, made the situation worse. True, it has highlighted more than ever the need for and power of small business. But the pandemic’s shadow side has seen untold numbers of small businesses suffer, or collapse entirely, while the Costco’s and Wal*Mart’s of the world continue to flourish.
For Katrina, much of her business relies on in-person sales and virtually all of that business was obliterated as restrictions were put into place. Meanwhile, shopping malls, fast-fashion retail chains, and other big-box shops have been allowed to stay in business. Here’s the crazy, stupid, insane part: Katrina is making quality products that actually have the power to shift consumer behaviour, and that last a lifetime or more, and yet even she admits to having struggled to keep her business afloat during this last year of chaos.
What part of that makes sense to you?
Not to mention, because Katrina is the wearer of all other hats in her business (read: one-woman show), she’s had to come up with a lot of creative ideas and out-of-the-box thinking to, as she puts it, “overcome the odds and keep going.” Every month, she is fighting to pay her bills and keep things flowing.
On one hand, this perseverance and tenacity is to be commended. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all. On the other hand, someone like Katrina creating such beautiful and intentional products that really help heal this planet and people, should absolutely NOT be struggling this much.
Small Business Owners Need Us
We’re living in a time when online shopping, instant gratification, and big box stores are running rampant and if left unchecked, they pose serious problems with very serious consequences (for people and the planet). Indeed, they already are. Of course, it’s not all bad: in some cases, the recent pandemic has made it possible for small businesses to survive and flourish, particularly with tools like online ordering.
But it must be said, again and again: Small business owners still need our attention. They need our business. They are trying so hard and unlike big-box retailers, it’s not just to make a profit. In almost all the examples of small businesses I’ve encountered these last several months, the owners of these establishments are concerned with things like planetary welfare and the health of their community. They are fighting to conduct business in a way that helps everyone, including themselves.
The Feels
I know that when I personally support independent, small businesses like Katrina’s, I feel better. It’s a relaxing experience and comes with a sense of security. When I purchased my jumper from Amphitrite, it gave that article of clothing meaning. Now, when I slip into it, I’m reminded of the impact it has – on me, on Katrina, on this planet. I’m reminded of the person who created this garment. I’m transported to my favourite corner of Maine every time I look down and see the state symbol on my pocket.
What I’m trying to get at here is that by investing in small business and small business owners, we’re investing in those people – directly. We’re creating real stories, real connection. When was the last time you had a real connection with a product purchased at Wal-Mart? When we support small businesses, we tend to slow down, interact, care more. The impact of that – on people and the planet – is simply massive.
What does Katrina hope that people will learn through her work and business?
Simple. That quality made, versatile goods are worth more than the money that you pay for them.
Katrina Kelley, Amphitrite Studio
So often, we look at high-quality garments or products made by our local, small businesses and we think, “They’re nice but…they’re expensive.”
We need to flip that script. In so many ways. Ultimately, we need to reconsider why it is we’re willing to pay repeatedly for cheap goods, instead of investing once in something timeless, multi-functional, and that will last us a long time (or, a lifetime).
We need to take a good, hard look at the complicated topic of inequality, and of how we the people have been duped into believing we are not deserving of high-quality goods. And, we need to come to grips with how much we have allowed big business to get away with (pollution, slave wages, child labour, the destruction of entire communities). That is very NOT OK. This is the real crux of the matter, and it is a freaking shame.
So, what can I do to support small business owners?
You didn’t come here to read a rant, and I didn’t write this to bring you down into the dumps. You want actions!!
My interactions with Katrina and her business have shown me that there is quite a lot we can do about this sticky situation:
- Stop supporting the fast fashion industry and/or slow your roll with big-box stores. It’s really that simple. It’s not always going to be possible, and it will never quite be as “easy” as convenient, all-in-one shopping with cheap prices, but, it’s a must.
- Find a local seamstress and support them: you’ll extend the life of your wardrobe and the life of someone’s business.
- Mend your clothes. And your towels, if you know how (or hire that seamstress you just found)!
- Ask your clothing questions: Like, “Where did you come from?” or “Who made you?” or, “What are you made out of?” If you’re not satisfied with the answers, it’s time to consider a wardrobe switcheroo.
- Invest in high-quality, timeless items for home & body. These can be found through small, local businesses like Katrina’s but also places like curated consignment shops, Etsy, or other local (to you) delights.
My hope with this post is that you feel compelled to go take a gander in your closet but also that you go take a gander at the small businesses around you. Any small business will do. They need support. Jeff Bezos at Amazon will be just fine if you decide not to buy that $10 shirt from his platform, but the small business that is making something similar, with care, out of sustainable, higher-quality fabric, might not be. Keep these small business owners in the business they love!
(Feature photo credit courtesy of my favourite person to hang out in the forest with: Jan Vozenilek)
One Comment