Meet Julia Kepler | Community Builder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julia Kepler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julia, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I believe you can look back into your childhood and pick out your 3 strongest positive memories and it’s within those memories you find your passion in life. One of mine is pulling my sister in a wagon with my mom by my side. With a family of one car this was our means of transport most days and walking to the local stores was something we did on occasion and sometimes by necessity. There was a gift shop in particular I loved walking to I would pick out gifts for my sisters there and as I became an adult I bought most of my gifts there. It is funny how memories wane but I had written this one down and came across it again a year ago without realizing it at the time my husband and I bought that building I so lovingly cherished pursuing for the perfect gift.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I was 20 I realized college was not for me and so I opened my own business. I lovingly ran that business until I was pregnant with my daughter. I then turned my time to be at home with my children for the next 7-8 years. I wrote a mom blog to keep me engaged in the adult world all while writing about children. Once they were all in school and the house became quiet I found myself a bit lost. This is when I turned my attention to the non-profit sector as a volunteer. I helped open the Shelterhouse Resale Shop for our local women’s shelter and then a at cost grocery store called The Bridge. I gained a lot of experience working on those projects in all different areas-marketing, leading teams, mentoring, merchandising, inventory management, etc

It was in these spaces I really learned to love the community and wanted to see it grow and prosper in a different way. We need those spaces I helped build because of a deficit in our community. What if I could build something that helped build our economy by helping small business owners and in turn help build back our downtown. What if I could in someway inspire the next generation dream big dreams and spark imagination?

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would of course have to stop my businesses Serendipity Road, Joyful Tantrum and Recess. I always see if there is a show at The Center for the Arts that my friend/family would love and if it’s in the summer a Loons game and the Music on Main Concert series is always on the list. A stroll through Dow Gardens and the Chippewa Nature Center are a must for outdoor activities. Starting our day visiting in one of our many local coffee shops like Live Oak, Grove Tea Lounge and Boomerang are great places to connect with each other. I love good food and there is some out there and some of it is nostaglia. Pizza Sam’s-I grew up going there with my dad and so we always have to stop by (their cheesy breadsticks-YUM). With a business in the downtown we are grabbing our staff food on occasion and so we have favorites all around downtown for different reasons. No place better for brunch than Cafe Zinc or Crepes et Amis. Lunch places like Pizza Bakers Garlic Bacon pizza is to die for, Mac N Cheese at Molasses, deconstructed Nachos at Proper Taco. Date nights at Gratzi, Maru, and 118. For the bar goers every type of egg roll you could ask for while playing video games at Brinstar-how could you not and we cant forget the Grilled Cheese at Whichcraft or the ambiance of Oxygen. The winter brings to the H courtyard dining pods and curling and of course sledding at City Forest. There has been a huge insurgence of public art around Midland and so going on a scavenger hunt provided by Public Arts to take a little selfie tour with fabulous local art would certainly make the cut with a trip to any of our antique or thrift shops to round out the stay. As you can see I am a Midland girl through and through and these spaces are where I spend my time and money to help build our community.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I could not accomplish anything in this life without the guidance of the Holy Ghost, the grace and atonement of Jesus Christ and the love and compassion of my Heavenly Father. It is through their light I am able to accomplish my life goals and the people they bring into my life to support me. That list is long but my family is on the top of that list.

Website: Www.shopwithmoxie.com

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