We recently connected with Christa Kalk and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Christa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

In 2015, we started as a small gift shop with 35 local artists in a 350 square foot space. Within the year, we grew to 65 artists and made a leap into a larger space with a maker room for craft classes. Over the next couple of years, we opened a second location, experienced the Covid shutdown, and on a giant leap of faith in the middle of the pandemic in August 2020, we opened a third location. It has been a wild ride, and we are thrilled to be coming up on 8 years in business with an incredible following for our gift stores, the artists we represent, and our craft classes.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a college professor (who didn’t quit my day job) and on my first sabbatical I decided to open a gift shop featuring the work of local Minnesota artists. As a side hustling silversmith and jewelry artist, I had spent years doing craft shows and didn’t love the packing and unpacking to go to and from events. Opening a space to sell my own and other’s art seemed like a really fun idea. We started with 35 artists and nearly eight years later, we are over 150 local artists. We pride ourselves on providing a place where folks can find unique locally made products. You can literally shop over 150 small businesses in one location!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When the pandemic hit, we struggled to stay afloat, as many small businesses did. We were about two weeks from closing down the store when we decided to take a giant leap of faith and open a new store location in a place that has guaranteed foot traffic. I just wasn’t ready to close on someone else’s terms. When we do close, it will be my choice. Opening in the new location worked and saved our business!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When the pandemic hit, we decided to take the time to completely overhaul our online store. We worked with a dedicated representative with our sales platform to make certain we were using the tools correctly for the best possible success. Our online sales took off and certainly helped us make it through a difficult time.

Contact Info:

• Website: minnesotamakers.net
• Instagram: mnmakers
• Facebook: minnesotamakers