We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kelsey Edwards. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kelsey below.
Kelsey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
The Ballog is named after my great-grandmother, Mary Ballog. She was the daughter of an immigrant family from Eastern Europe and lived in Gary, Indiana outside of Chicago. The wife of a steelworker, she lived a humble life, however, we found an abundance of love, encouragement, optimism and creativity in her home. She would not allow the television to be on when we visited. Instead, she always taught us something new – painting, baking, fishing, how to polka. She was an amazing artist and created beautiful paintings, but she did not pick up a paintbrush until she was 40 years old. She was still teaching painting lessons to women in her community center until she passed away in 2013 at the age of 94. She was a major inspiration to us all. Her legacy: you can create under any circumstances, and it’s never too late to start. The shop is a tribute to her.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am the Co-Owner and Creative Director of The Ballog. My background is in Art as I got my degree in Art Education and Photography. I taught high school art for a year and then took a job in Sales. The Ballog began as a one-time artist market event to serve as a creative outlet. The event transitioned into a pop-up shop in a brick+mortar space in 2015. We were only open when our full-time jobs allowed for us to be there. Slowly we began opening more days and business picked up each with each week. In 2018, we were presented with an opportunity to open a second location. We took the opportunity and continued to grow the business and in 2022, we opened a third location.
We are very intentional about the products we carry and the companies we align ourselves with. We seek out local artists, independent makers and goods that make a difference. We make sure all of the items in our store are ethically manufactured and many of our partners give back to a greater cause,
I am most proud of our mission and the fact that we have been able to curate a wonderful selection of items without straying from our values. Through the store, I have learned about and partnered with so many small businesses with amazing missions and stories. It is such an important reminder that there are actual people behind the products we consume and I am proud that The Ballog is a place that can support these makers and share their stories.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
The first thing that immediately comes to mind is COVID. We survived as a brick+mortar and after a long, hard year, we came out more successful on the other side. We did have to pivot like everyone and got creative with what we could do with the cards we were dealt. We had hard days mentally and emotionally, like everyone in 2020, but at the end of the day, we weren’t ready to give up on what we had been building for 5 years and I think that’s what kept driving us. We ended up having to close our doors for 10 weeks, but during that time we built our online shop which did not exist prior to the shutdown. Our community really showed up and supported us with online purchases and curbside pickups during that time which helped keep us going. We have good relationships with a lot of our customers and makers, so both sides were shouting us out and encouraging their networks to support us. It was a really beautiful example of how important community is, personally and professionally.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Once we came up with our mission for The Ballog I think it did change our business and the customer experience for the good. We are passionate about supporting good people and good companies, it excites us and I think that comes out organically when interacting with the customer. We want to create an empowering, positive space and an engaging shopping experience and I think people are drawn to that. They feel good and have fun when they shop with us.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Kelly Berry Photography