We recently connected with Karen Carlock and have shared our conversation below.

Karen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

In the summer of 2016, my husband and I were on a road trip with our 3 children under the age of 5. Along the way, we came across a great museum in Michigan that the kids fell in love with and we thought was really engaging and creative. The time spent in that space spurred an idea. It occurred to us that perhaps we could bring a children’s museum to our small town of Black Earth that would serve the regional community. What made the idea extra special was the idea of engaging community members in the design and build of the museum so all felt many felt part of the adventure. Now in our 6th year of operating, we opened just 1 year after the seed of an idea was planted, the small-town community museum is continuing to thrive and serving children and their caregivers from throughout our region and beyond.

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

I founded the non-profit Black Earth Children’s Museum in October of 2016. The first step I took was to put a banner on the building announcing that a children’s museum would open in June of 2017. That sparked a lot of questions and community interest. I engaged with the local regional community to promote the vision and began reaching out to local groups and businesses to support the project. I partnered with a wonderful community member who dove fully into the project, and we were committed and optimistic. With the help of over 100 volunteers, the museum opened on time in June of 2017 with much excitement! I am so proud of the volunteers that saw the value a community-minded museum could bring to the region. When children and caregivers visit the museum and express their excitement at the high-quality, locally made and engaging exhibits, that brings me so much satisfaction.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

The museum membership and visitor volumes grew primarily through “word of mouth” recommendations. The quality and “small town” feel of the museum made it appealing to caregivers and families with young children. The setting of the museum makes it inherently accessible and provides opportunities for caregivers to connect and build connections.

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

My kids and I were in a tragic accident in 2016. A driver fell asleep at the wheel and crossed into our lane and hit us head-on. The driver died and we were all ok. That experience resulted in a deeper understanding that every headline has real people and real stories behind it. The article about the accident said that “a woman and her children went to the hospital with minor injuries”. That was it. Yet my family’s life was forever changed…in very beautiful ways actually, making us more thankful and appreciating each moment more deeply and making us more willing to change and grow so that we don’t allow moments to pass us by. That experience was a catalyst for having little to no hesitation when the idea struck to build a community museum.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blackearthchildrensmuseum.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackearthchildrensmuseum/

Image Credits
Gary Cox