Meet Amber & Meghan Kennedy | Macrame Artists & Social Workers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amber & Meghan Kennedy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amber & Meghan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We began making items as gifts for our loved ones because we enjoyed practicing the craft until our support system encouraged us to put our art out into the world. Macrame had been around for decades, and we are always trying to honor the roots of it, but with a little twist. We’ve been so grateful to have started Knot Ur Mother’s Macrame and all of the adventures of being a small business it has taken us on!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
It is hard to get a business off the ground while still maintaining all the aspects that are important to us, such as sustainability, and inclusivity. We wanted to create art that had some twists to it and was meaningful. We pride ourselves on doing our best to run a sustainable and eco-friendly business. From the recycled cotton cord, the wood we use, the reused boxes we send orders in, to making our own business cards, we truly try to make a positive impact on the earth. We also wanted art to be accessible for everyone to learn. Teaching workshops has been inspiring to us as we want others to experience the joy of macrame and love it as much as we do. We are hopeful to continue to partner with other small businesses in order to bring more creativity into people’s lives.

One of the hardest lessons has been learning that not everyone supports an out, proud, LGBTQ+ woman owned business. There were certain places that were unwelcoming or unsafe at times. There were comments that impacted us about having beautiful art, but because of our marriage they would not support us. When we first started up we debated having our sign out, or disclosing our relationship. However, we knew that by doing so we were not being true to ourselves, and we were not standing up for our community by hiding. Instead of being silenced to earn a profit, we became louder, made our sign bigger, and in turn found more support than we could have imagined. This drove us to dedicating a portion of sales during certain months to benefit LGBTQ+ non-profits, Planned Parenthood, and other woman owned businesses.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Kalamazoo really does exist and it is full of some of the best local gems. For dining we have a few key spots that are always must haves for visitors – One Well Brewing, Roca, City Centre Market, Mi Pueblo, or Fiddleleaf Cafe. We also love to be active and walk in nature so of course a hike would be in the cards. Some our favorite trails include Asylum Lake, Al Sabo Land Preserve, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Chipman Preserve, or Blandford Nature Center (even though it is in Grand Rapids, it is worth the drive)! Downtown Kalamazoo is also full of life from dive bars, restaurants, shops full of art, BeeJoyful a sustainability store with so many goodies, Rocket Fizz which is full of the best candy, ice cream, plant shops, the State Theatre, and more events than you could count outside when it is warm enough! You can find us most weekends of the summer at the vintage markets, art fairs, outdoor concerts, intimate events at the Vine Barn, attending Pride events, or just walking around supporting local shops.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We would love to give a shoutout to our consistent support system that includes family, friends, and community. We would have never had the courage to start a small business or believe our art was worth it without the encouragement from our family that pushed us to believe in ourselves. It can be intimidating and hard to put our hearts out there with art, but every customer that has given us the opportunity to create has made it all worth it. Special shoutout to Nana who taught Amber how to macrame in the first place!

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KnotUrMothersMacrame

Instagram: @knoturmothersmacrame

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KnotUrMothersMacrame