Schaumburg woman, 90, starts online wreath businesss

With the help of her daughters and granddaughters, 90-year old Kay Kaminski of Schaumburg is coming of age.

Earlier this year, she launched her own business on Etsy, the online marketplace that specializes in homemade and one-of-a-kind items. The company describes itself as a "global, creative commerce platform" that strives to empower "creative entrepreneurs."

Kaminski is one of those. Just two months into her business of selling wreaths and garlands, Décor by Kay is selling items nearly as fast as she and her daughters, Connie Harris and Emilia Picardi, both of Schaumburg, can make them.

"I love doing it," Kaminski says of her flower arranging. "I work on it four to six hours a day. It gives me a reason to get up in the morning."

Her granddaughters, including Jessica Bachand of Augusta, Michigan, who is a senior finance manager with Kellogg's, are helping her reach an online audience for her wares.

"For years she's been making wreaths and giving them to friends and family," Bachand says. "We have always loved her designs, and believed that others would too. So, as we welcomed 2017, we decided this is the year we will showcase Grandma Kay's masterpieces."

Kaminski agreed, in part, as a way to hand down her creative technique to family members. After all, she is a mother of four, grandmother of 11 and great-grandmother of 13.

"I'm trying to establish the business for my grandchildren," Kaminski says, "so they can carry on the legacy."

Admittedly, it is the design aspect of her creations that drives her. While growing up in Chicago, she never finished high school, let alone attend college. Had she gone, she says, she would have loved to pursue fashion design or interior design.

Instead, she went to beauty school, married and eventually owned her own salon for a few years. The couple moved to Schaumburg more than 40 years ago. Their move prompted Kaminski to start a new career, working at J.C. Penney's at Woodfield Mall, where she worked her way up to manage the women's accessory department.

"I always decorated my department for the holidays," Kaminski says. "They have a staff that does that, but I wanted to do it myself. I guess that's where it started."

Her granddaughter says Kaminski uses high quality materials in each wreath and makes one-of-a-kind specialties. And, Bachand adds, Kaminski leaves no leaf unturned in her inspection of her inventory.

"We joke that Grandma is not only the CEO, but she is in charge of quality control," Bachand says.

Her granddaughters are working on booking Décor by Kay at a few craft shows as well as in storefronts looking to display her wreaths. That leaves Kaminski free to do her design work and floral arranging.

"I've worked all my life, but this is fun," Kaminski says. "I just like to see what comes out of it."

Check out her shop on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/decorbykayshop.