Aggie and Stella’s is an oasis for owner Kari Weiss. It is her home away from home. Through arts, crafts, and owning a business she is bringing a little more love to Michigan City.
Kari opened the store in July 2016 with the support of her family. She serves as a distributor for many local artists, including her own work.
In 2013, Kari was diagnosed with Appendix cancer. Since then she has undergone a series of surgeries that will never cure her but do keep the cancer at bay. It is a rare variety, her and her mother are only the second and third cases ever reported at Chicago University. Their sporadic health made Kari depressed.
“I needed something to do,” Kari said. “To give me a purpose.”
Art was something she and her family bonded over. Kari and her mother, and her grandmothers, would do all sorts of crafts together. She passed the creative gene on to her three children, who love to get involved in whatever project she is working on.
Using art as a way to distract from her worries was a healthy outlet but a messy one. Scraps invaded her kitchen. Disorganization encouraged her to seek out a rental space to use as a craft room. Kari was already selling crafts through a store in La Porte, so it did not take her long to realize that the property she saw before her would be better used as a shop of her own.
So Aggie and Stella’s was born.
The name came from the grandmothers who inspired her. Kari’s mother joined in on the venture, helping with running the shop while also contributing more projects to the shelves.
Other vendors filled the rest of the space. A man who works with granite sells holders for business cards and spoons. Another artist renovates furniture to give it new life. Kari’s store sells handbags, jewelry, and roller balls for stress. 90% of the products are hand made.
Kari’s store also hosts classes in the common area outside her doors, so that people in the community can learn something new. The inexperienced are just as welcome as the professionals.
“There’s no right or wrong. If someone looks at your piece and doesn’t like it, it’s okay because the next person to come along can think it’s beautiful.”
That is why her store is so focused on handmade items. Creating something gives meaning to the piece, and to the artist.
“Getting a gift that is homemade is more personal,” Kari says. “I love my baby blankets. When I give them to my friends I like to personalize things. I like to see the smiles on their faces. It means I took the time and thought about them.”
To Kari, everyone is family. Every person she meets is in her life for a reason and becomes a part of the Kari tribe. The store has introduced her to so many people who have a story to tell. Her parents’ neighbors have been extended family for decades. Her son’s friends have helped her out when she was sick. Her family is spreading and growing closer together.
“It’s a family affair,” Kari says. “Everyone has been here to help. I think that is how a business does well- you have to have a family and a community that supports you.”
You also need good marketing. Kari is constantly marketing, not just for herself but for the entirety of downtown Michigan City. “I always talk up the downtown and no one knows that there is anyone here. No one knew about the Bicentennial. We have to help each other out to help ourselves. We need to bring all the businesses together.”
Kari believes that the involvement of local artists, like in Michigan City’s Art District, show how the town can really be. She is a part of that development.
“I have found my purpose. It is making people happy.”