Kerryn Jane

In fourth grade, I got in trouble for “selling” firecrackers I bought with lunch money from another “walker” on the way to school. I had upped my winnings to someone else’s lunch money and a jackknife. The entrepreneur was born! …though I got busted by lunchtime and almost couldn’t go to the circus with my Nana.

By sixth grade, I was selling drawings of popular characters, complete with personalized who-loves-who additions.

Seventh and eighth grade’s product line included silkscreened cards and T-shirts. 

By high school, it was candy from the budding wholesale warehouses—sold discreetly in the girls’ bathroom between classes.

By young adulthood, I figured it was time to “go legit” and began selling my photography, paintings, and twig and farmhouse furniture.

All of this eventually led to opening and running a successful brick-and-mortar kitchen and housewares store, followed by a Handy Woman business.

As both an entrepreneur and a creative—and with life requiring a move every few years—I ventured into voice acting, a business that allowed me to stay creative and take my work with me.

And now, I find myself settling into what we expect to be our final move: North Carolina. What comes next in my career will connect all of these life experiences. What will it be?

Well, looking back, I can see that none of this was ever just about selling snacks in hallways or firecrackers on the way to school—although my profit margins were already legendary long before I knew what that meant. What ties all of these ventures together isn’t a frantic hustle for the next shiny thing, but a curiosity about people—about what makes us feel seen, connected, and a little less alone in the world.

Whether I was handing someone a hand-screened card, welcoming a neighbor into my store, or teaching someone to find their voice behind a mic, I realized my work wasn’t about doing things for people—it was about creating the spaces and moments where they could reconnect, to themselves and to each other.

In every town, every small business, and every new community I stepped into, I found myself naturally becoming that friendly connector and quiet leader—not because I planned it, but because I love seeing people light up when they belong. And that—more than any gadget or drawing—is what I’m building toward now.

I was born and raised in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Growing up in a safe neighborhood, just a walk from the beach, was priceless.

My college years were also spent there, aside from a semester in Liverpool, England (awwwwesommmme!). Though I started working at age twelve, my first “adult job” was also in Narragansett.

Eventually, I got the itch to fly and took what turned out to be a month-long drive across the country. Route 66 ended on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, where I noticed a For Rent sign in a window. So, for a year, I lived upstairs from a porn/book store and worked for an Emmy-winning couple — an adventure, for sure.

Life pulled me back east, and I moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where I lived and worked for eighteen years.

After selling my kitchen and housewares store, my partner and I began moving frequently due to their corporate role. 

In the past ten years, I have lived in Asheville… Richmond, Virginia… Atlanta, Georgia… Los Angeles, California… New Jersey… and now, Charlotte — back in North Carolina.

Each place shaped me in different ways, but everywhere I landed, community mattered.