Conversations with Katie Barrie

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Barrie.

Hi Katie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In 2008, my mom Jenny started a company called What’s Your Bag creating one of a kind purse organizers. Over time she began to learn more about different fabrics and how to hand-paint/dye silk. As the original idea for the purse organizers fizzled out, my mom began to teach me what she was learning about dying the silk and the various techniques. With her being in Nebraska and myself in Michigan at the time, soon we were both creating, experimenting and brainstorming ideas for different collections. This new venture she renamed Kat And Timbo (after me and my brother Tim).

The scarves took off and soon, we were shipping them worldwide via Etsy. However, we wanted to expand beyond just scarves and incorporate something we both love and live in daily. That’s how the flannels got their start. We debuted our first batch of flannels at a show in Kansas City and sold out the first night! As we feverishly worked into the early hours creating more inventory, we knew we were on to something.

Our flannel inventory grew in numbers and popularity, along with expanding our brand once again. Over the past several years, we’ve added custom tees, denim, sweatshirts and hoodies, along with launching a website in 2020. Most recently, we’ve added trucker hats, canvas tote bags, vintage coin necklaces, and keychains.

While our scarves are a thing of the past, we’re continuing to evolve and refine our inventory. We think the idea of sustainable clothing is really cool and both appreciate anything that tells a story.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a slow, uphill battle with lots of tough lessons along the way. Being in 2 different states certainly has its “divide and conquer” perks, but can also be very challenging. Because every piece of inventory is one of a kind, if something sells privately or at an event, it needs to be removed from our online selling platforms right away. Things get busy and this doesn’t always happen which can make for a very confusing time trying to sort through what has sold. This was really tough with the scarves especially! Needless to say, we FaceTime a lot! We try to gain inspiration from our own experiences and ideas. Sometimes it’s a homerun aka the flannels and other times it’s a huge flop. For example, a few years ago, we had an idea for a collection of shirts. In our minds, it was a great idea, simple yet still making a statement. We were all geared up for this big successful launch and it was total crickets! The idea didn’t translate and looking back our presentation was way off. Chalked that one up.
Most recently, we did our largest event to date with Junk In The Trunk at Westworld. This was a really big deal for us and we were so grateful to get chosen as a vendor. Events are always a learning experience, but this one especially hit home and taught us so much about presentation, refining the aesthetic of our booth (the feel, vibe and set-up) and how we want to continue to grow our brand.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Oh boy, how much time do you have? Between the two of us, we wear a lot of hats and have had so many “careers” over the years. From the beauty industry and retail to teaching and being business owners, we’ve covered a lot of ground professionally. Currently, aside from Kat And Timbo, we both have other professions as well. My mom has been a dance studio owner and dance teacher for over 35 years. She still runs her dance studio in Grand Island, Nebraska full-time in addition to Kat And Timbo. I also have another gig apart from K & T working in Sales & Reservations for U-Haul. When it comes to our brand, I think we both have our specialties! My mom does most of the flannels, all of the bags and newly added graphic tees. I really enjoy the bleaching and distressing of our thrifted tees and do most of the custom orders, manage our social media and website.

I’m really proud of the fact that aside from our business, we’ve both grown tremendously as women over the last several years. We try to bring that to our brand in hopes of inspiring other women to be brave and bold in who they are. Wear what makes you feel good…whether that’s one of our shirts or not, quite frankly. Do you!

What sets Kat And Timbo apart from the rest is this….ALL of our items are vintage or thrifted. Then we customize each and every shirt, one at a time, by hand to create something new and interesting. We like to say we “breath new life” into the shirts while respecting its history. Sometimes we know the backstory of where an item came from and other times not, but we believe every shirt tells a story.

We educate ourselves as much as possible on the importance of sustainability and want to spread the word that “second hand” does NOT mean “second best.”

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Honestly, we’re all about the classics. A flannel or denim shirt, a great pair of jeans and a t-shirt never goes out of style. Sure, bleaching and distressed aren’t for everyone. Some say it’s trendy, but as our brand evolves, we try to keep a very timeless feel with all of our inventory. It’s hard to say what will be on trend in the next few years as all “fashion rules” seem to have gone out the window. Everything makes its way back around at some point from styles of the 70’s to now the 90’s and Target feeling like a Deliah’s catalog. Yikes…did I just age myself there? But I do know we will continue to refine and shape our brand to be a solid representation of who we are and mix the old with the new, the timeless with the trendy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katandtimbo.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/katandtimbo
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/katandtimbo37
• Other: https://linktr.ee/katandtimbo

\

Image Credits
Jamie Martin
Lisha Dunlap