Happy Friday, and Happy Halloween! I hope you're doing well today. We're finally getting some moisture in the SF Bay Area...it's been a long time coming!!!
Congratulations to Michelle, who was randomly selected as the winner of the two 8x10 prints of her choice from Nesta Home. Michelle happened to find us here, because I featured her Etsy shop over there on the right hand side...her shop is Yoopers.
Today, we're featuring Krysta from Chick 9 Clothing...a company specializing in athletic themed clothing for girls. "Did you know that girls who play sports do better at math and science, as well as having better body images and self esteem?" Hmmm...maybe I should have played sports!!! I was/am horrible at math!
Here's a little more about Krysta and Chick 9 Clothing.
TDB: Please tell us a little about Chick 9 Clothing
Krysta: I started Chick 9 Clothing because I found it nearly impossible to find cute sports themed clothes for girls and I think it is so important to encourage girls to play sports. I have played sports my whole life, including playing volleyball in college, and I think a lot of my successes can be traced back to what I learned from being an athlete and teammate. Now that my friends and former teammates are starting to have their own kids, I really think it is important to make sure that girls feel encouraged to get started playing sports. When I was writing my undergraduate thesis on how participation in sports affects the self-esteem and body-image of high school girls I learned that playing sports also helps girls do better in math and science.
TDB: What is the one thing in life you are most passionate about and why?
Krysta: Besides sports, I am most passionate about travel! I am fearless in my travel plans and I am always willing to go somewhere new. I love learning new languages, trying new food, and just absorbing new cultures! Besides traveling throughout the western United States, I have lived in Ireland and the Czech Republic and traveled to Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Austria, Mexico, and Venezuela. I think my next trip will either be to Norway to see family, or to somewhere new in South America.
TDB: What is one dream that you have, and how do you plan on making it come true?
Krysta: I have lots of dreams! But right now I am focusing on making Chick 9 Clothing as successful as possible in hopes of one day being able to quit my day job. I like my day job (I work for a textbook company) but I LOVE working on stuff for Chick 9! I can sit at my desk for hours on end designing new shirts and I won't even notice that time has passed. I wish my day job was the same way! So I am starting to do as much research as I can and lay all the ground work before I make the leap to full time.
TDB: What is your typical day like?
Krysta: I have a Shiba Inu puppy, Lola, who needs constant exercise so I am usually up by 6 am at the latest to take her on a run. Then I work at least 8 hours at my day job, come home, run again, make dinner or go out with friends, and then I spend a few hours a night working on shirts to ship, coming up with new designs, writing on my blog, or thinking of ways to promote my store without spending money! If I am really busy with Chick 9 stuff, my mom will usually come over on the weekends or one night a week to help me prepare the shirts and get orders ready to ship. My parents are my biggest supporters and have sold a lot of my stuff to their friends and coworkers! Right now I am actually getting ready for my first trunk show, so I am putting in more time making shirts than normal! Luckily one of my best friends has agreed to work at the show with me...partly for moral support and partly to keep me from spending all my money at other people's booths!
TDB: Please share with us a little about your family.
Krysta: I am very very close to my family! My parents live about half an hour away so I see them at least once a week depending on our schedules. They are both former college athletes and coaches, so they can easily relate to why this is so important to me. My parents have always been so supportive of everything I have done and always encouraged me in my sports when I was younger...they would have made great customers! I'm single, no kids yet, but I do have my adorable dog and one cat. They are my fur babies!
TDB: If you could teach anything, what would you teach?
Krysta: Well, I coached volleyball for a long time, so maybe I will go back to that someday when I have free time. I had planned on getting my masters in education to teach high school social studies, but my life took a different turn and I ended up doing my MBA instead. So maybe I could teach some business classes. I have also taught ESL to kids and adults and I will probably get back into that soon, even if it is just helping teach my mom's ESL classes. I come from a long line of teachers...it is our family business! Really, I would prefer to go back to school and get a masters in political science or history. I love taking classes...I am a total nerd and proud of it!
TDB: Please share 3 LITTLE KNOWN facts about yourself.
Krysta:
-I must make the bed everyday or I can't go to work. I even make the beds in hotels. I'm a tad OCD. If I know the bed is not made, I will think about it all day until I can go home and make it.
-I love to grocery shop and often spend over an hour wandering around the store looking at stuff. It is one of my favorite things to do in other countries because the foods are so different. I once considered starting my own business to do other people's shopping.
-I strongly dislike birds and have a fear that I will be attacked by them. In Venezuela, I was very afraid of the parrots and I was convinced I would lose a finger to one. I didn't. My brother and I are not allowed in the lorakeet enclosure at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and got in trouble teasing the birds. Yes, I realize this does not exactly make me a good person, but the birds are aggressive there!
Have a great weekend!
Angie
