We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katie Morone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you find your key vendor or vendors? Maybe you can share the backstory and share some context and the relevant details to help us understand why you chose them, why they chose you, etc.

For me, this has been complete trial & error and a lot of recommendations from other small business owners in the creative community. While one vendor or manufacturer may work great for someone else, it might not work for me so setting aside time to reach out to them, develop a relationship, ask for & feel samples in person, and so much more are all factors when finding the right partner.

Katie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Line & Kind Paper Co. is an indie paper goods & gift brand specializing in greeting cards, stickers, notepads, and more with a simple, colorful, and thoughtful feel. We want our goods to help people celebrate the small wins, the big events, and everything in between through thoughtful designs. While our business is 4 years old it started out of a need for pure self expression after being a professional ballet dancer for 10+ years and has led to a collection of over 150+ designs across multiple product categories. While we love a more simple aesthetic we are not afraid of color. Combine those two elements with thoughtful messaging and you’ve got a piece that will make its recipient smile. And that’s what giving cards & gifts is all about, isn’t it?

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

In-person markets & pop-ups! There is nothing better than meeting fans (and soon-to-be-new fans – hopefully!) out in the real world. While online shopping & Instagram are great tools, you can’t beat the in-person experience. The tactile element, conversation with the artist, and getting real-time recommendations are something you can’t find online. And in truth, that is another element of L&K – the setting aside time to pick the perfect card and/or gift for someone; the thoughtfulness and effort that goes into it.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Yes! I was working as a professional ballet dancer for 10+ years & freelance designing and needed a purely personal creative outlet that wasn’t dictated by a choreographer or a design client. So I began drawing. And somehow, I truly don’t remember how, but those illustrations became greeting cards. Over time I created a line of 70+ designs and decided to make L&K official after thinking about it for a couple of years. Now, 4 years later, I have a line of 150+ designs!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lineandkind.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lineandkind/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/lineandkind/p
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lineandkind/boards/

Image Credits
Headshot by Victoria Saperstein