The pop-up shop gets a makeover as KT Designs takes over

Kassie Thompson wowed UBT’s Small Business team the moment she and her mom reached into their tote bags to show examples of her work. Her unique take on assorted laser-etched wood products stood out among an impressive field of quality applicants and became the team’s choice to sell out of the pop-up shop space during this year’s upcoming holiday season. 

This particular home-based small business journey started in 2013 with Kassie hand-painting chalkboards for local businesses in her hometown of Columbus. From there, she caught the very beginning of the wooden door hanger wave, selling them mostly on Facebook at first. 

“I’m creative but not artistic.” Kassie is quick to offer up this caveat in any discussion about the ideation of her products, which include a large variety of door hangers, Husker-licensed items, holiday and seasonal items, vintage wall décor, ornaments, nursery décor, abstract art, dog leash hangers, and so much more.

KT Designs really took off in 2021 after Kassie made the move to Lincoln the year prior. Once she hit the farmers market circuit and bought her first laser cutter, she kept up with the demand for her unique products by working full-time out of her two-bedroom home, with an even larger laser cutter humming away as part of her dining room. She operated a workshop out of her detached garage at the time, switching between the house and garage to complete projects.

Now that she’s in a larger house with a three-car garage, Kassie uses one of the stalls for stands, saws, and her farmers market storage. And even though she swore she’d never drive a minivan, she makes the ultimate sacrifice now after several harrowing experiences with an enclosed trailer she purchased for hauling around her large wooden display units.

“I don’t know if you know this, but trailers are very difficult to back into tight spaces,” Kassie laughs as she recounts her dark days of pulling the trailer. “I would leave extra early to be there before the crack of dawn just to avoid anyone else being there.” Once the trailer came unhitched on the highway on the way home from one of the markets, Kassie sought other options and thus embraced minivan life.

The van has become integral to her business, but it can’t begin to compete with Carla, the aforementioned mom who joined her — as she does in many things — to see if the pop-up shop was a good fit. Carla resigned from her full-time job a few years ago to take on the role of Kassie’s right-hand woman and KT Designs’ biggest small business advocate.

Although Kassie balks at being called artistic, Carla accepts that descriptor for herself. She’s carved out an entrepreneurial niche for herself in hand-painting pet portraits. She and Kassie promote that side hustle through KT Designs.

For the pop-up shop, Kassie has a vision for the space — hoping to capitalize on the September-December time frame. She’ll have plenty of Husker and sports décor and fall seasonal décor, then make the transition to a wide range of holiday gift and décor items. She also plans to have items on hand to satisfy every price point for folks stopping by to purchase gifts for others or a special treat for themselves. She and Carla will take turns manning the shop, and while they’re still trying to determine their official hours, they plan to be open every weekday.

September 2 was the first day for KT Designs in the pop-up shop, with hours including 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Fridays. Kassie and Carla can also be found at the Haymarket Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, and the minivan makes the trek to the Aksarben Farmers Market in Omaha on Sundays.

Give KT Designs’ social media accounts a follow on Instagram and Facebook to see why we’re thrilled to host them in the Small Business Pop-up Shop. You can also order from the KT Designs website and pick up at the pop-up shop.

The pop-up shop at Union Bank Place in downtown Lincoln gives business owners the opportunity to test out a brick-and-mortar location with built-in foot traffic. Offered to UBT business accountholders, the space is rent-free to the business owner for a four-month term. KT Designs is the seventh occupant. Previous businesses have been Susa’s Sweets and Balloons, Studio Trouvaille, Moose’s Mad Fresh, Truth Papers, My Big Fat Greek Bakery, and Rising Rolls Bakery.