An artist at heart, Jamie Kita has always been inspired by the changing seasons. She didn’t realize just how much she enjoyed the change between seasons until she spent time living in Texas, where seasons seemed to exist only in theory.
Back in Michigan, the changing seasons continue to be a source of inspiration, making the name of her new downtown business a logical one — Seasonal Inspirations.
The business, located at 102 Washington Street, is filled with crafts, furniture, and small gifts created by Kita herself and a number of Olivet-area artists.
Though Kita opened the doors of her new business in September, she has been creating for as long as she can remember. She even had her own gift shop that she ran out of the family barn for close to eight years before the struggling Michigan economy forced her to close.
Chance, however, presented another opportunity. And though she would never consider herself a risk taker, she felt it was time to give her passion another shot.
“It was scary at first, but it seemed like doors kept opening making it easier to make the decision,” Kita said.
One very big opportunity was utilizing the space her new location offered to provide rental space for other artists. Seasonal Inspirations has 10 booths rented by local artists and crafters to be able to sell their goods.
The booths fill the large space and help cover the costs of keeping the doors open, lending new life to Kita’s passion.
“It’s just fun to be able to do what you like to do,” she said.
She describes most of the items available at Seasonal Inspirations as “country, rustic and primitive mix.” She said she likes to repurpose things. Of course the inventory will change with the seasons.
Seasonal Inspirations is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (269) 223-2790 or find Seasonal Inspirations on Facebook.