Katie Shanahan, 30, owner of Paste, an arts and crafts supplies store at 1009 Russell Boulevard in Soulard.
BIOGRAPHICAL DATA
Family • Single with two dogs, Henry and Pedro, both Poodle and Golden Retriever mixes. Shanahan grew up in Denver. She is the second of two children born to Lynn Spampinato and Bill Shanahan. Her older brother, Matt Shanahan, 32, works in the financial industry in Denver. Her father also lives in Denver and her mother lives in Abu Dhabi.
Education • A 1998 graduate of Heritage High School in Littleton, Colo.; a 2006 graduate of University of Northern Colorado in Greeley with a bachelor's in elementary education.
What got you to St. Louis?
I married someone from here. We are no longer married.
But you stayed?
Yes, I like it here.
What did you do before you opened Paste?
I got here in 2006 and my first job was teaching at Confluence Academy. I taught first grade. After a year of that, I decided teaching wasn't really what I wanted to do so I bartended for a while and figured out what I was going to do with the rest of my life.
Where did you tend bar?
At Nadine's Gin Joint and at the Boathouse in Forest Park.
Was it bartending that made you decide to open a crafts store?
I've always been crafty. Elementary education involves doing a lot of crafts. But I also was in touch with the crafts community in St. Louis, which is big. I found people on the Internet and in the community and realized there was nowhere in the city to buy crafts supplies, not even a chain store.
Did you have trouble finding a place to open up the business (which is on the ground floor of the Soulard Fine Arts Building)?
Not at all. We found the space pretty quickly and then it took us less than a month to get in and open up. My brother helped me, but we didn't have to do much. Mostly some paint and I switched out fluorescent lights for some softer lighting. The building was a dairy once and then it was a toy company. It's a really neat place.
How was it to get licensing and all that?
I've learned a lot in the past year. It wasn't all easy but the city was very helpful in walking me through the process.
What sort of stuff do you carry?
We have about 60 artists whose work is sold here. We carry jewelry, journals, purses, prints, soaps, candles, T-shirts, scarves, pillows, headbands ... all sorts of handmade goods. And then we sell supplies for all kinds of things — knitting is popular, felting, crocheting, stamping and card making, paints.
Do you also offer classes?
Yes, we offer them based on what people ask for.
I saw on your website (www.pastecrafts.com) that you held something called Needles for Newborns. What was that?
It was great. We had a 24-hour knitting marathon. About 70 knitters came in over the time period and we made hats and blankets for preemies at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Do you plan to do more of that?
We have done a couple of other charitable efforts. We call them "Crafting with Purpose," but they haven't been 24-hour marathons. We made hats and scarves for teens at a homeless shelter and baby blankets for people at Grace Hill — that sort of thing. We also donated a portion of our sales from our opening day (June 26, 2009) to the Soulard School.
And you have organized some crafts fair?
Yes, the Soulard Market Park Arts & Crafts Fair. Our third one will be on Oct. 16. About 60 vendors showed up last time and we had live music, food and face painting.
Do you have a particular craft that you do?
I thought I'd be sitting here working on my stuff all the time, but I really don't have time. I knit and I make purses out of old books, and I paint furniture.
Any other hobbies?
I write and I read. I cook a lot, too, mostly Italian food. I write humorous essays about my life. I have done some open mic readings and I have read at poetry nights.
What do you like to read?
I will read anything I can get my hands on. I like David and Amy Sedaris. I just read "The Glass Castle," by Jeannette Walls. I liked that. I read all the time.
Your car is?
A 2006 Hyundai Accent. It's green.
