Keeping our Dream Alive

We started JAK Designs in March of 1997. Over the years, we have knitted, worked, planned, and struggled to keep our dream alive. And the dream has changed. In the beginning, we packed up a borrowed hatchback with a folding table and set up at tiny shows in the San Francisco Bay Area. There were strawberry festivals and neighborhood street fairs. And back then, Jen knitted costumes for ballet companies around the US, and showed her work at late night fashion parties in warehouses on the waterfront.

As small business owners and artists, we have had to pivot (a word bandied about quite a bit this year) time and time again, to earn a living, and to stay true to ourselves. In March of 2015, we opened the doors (door, actually) of our first brick and mortar shop in Kennebunkport, Maine. And in March of 2020, well, you know what happened. In our case, a year of art shows were cancelled, and we had to learn new ways to showcase our work while trying to keep the shop open safely. We are finishing up March of 2021 hopeful. About to get our first Covid vaccinations. And starting a blog, to share more about what goes on at JAK, behind the scenes. And you just read the first post, so we’re off to a great start!