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| October, marked Kathy's seventeenth year with Frames Unlimited. She started as a part-timer in the old McKay Tower downtown, and quickly became indispensible to several Frames Unlimited locations in the Grand Rapids / Muskegon area. Within two years, she accepted the management position in what was then our Jenison location. A few years later Kathy returned to downtown Grand Rapids and shares this: "I have several great memories as manager at McKay Tower. I was the favorite of the ghosts that lived there. The male ghost (Frank) used to make noises in the backroom until I yelled at him to stop it. The female ghost (name unknown) used to re-arrange photo frames and giftware." While it may have unnerved others, it was business as usual for Kathy! After several years downtown, Kathy was promoted to area manager for Grand Rapids / Muskegon area locations. For the last 4 years she has been senior manager of our flagship store located in Kentwood on 28th street just west of Woodland Mall. Many of her customers have followed her from store to store - a testament to her talent and passion for what she does. Among them are two Russian history and language professors. Of them she says, "They frame all the wonderful art they bring back from their yearly trips to Russia - it's great to re-connect and catch up with my customers." Kathy continues, "I really enjoy the framing aspect of this job. It feels good to take a piece of art, a photo, or a certificate and make it look wonderful for the customer. I always look forward to their reaction when their piece turns out better than they expected. The best thing is the people I work with - Rachael, Alice, Jenny and I have a great time and we all work well together." "When I'm not at work, I spend time with my husband Pete and our six cats (Buddy, Lulu, Stanley, Oliver, Oscar and Kahlua) and two dogs (Sam and Macy). All my babies like to be with me in my studio; the dogs sleeping in armchairs, the cats looking out the window, sleeping on any available surface (including my paintings as they dry) or stealing my paint brushes and making a run for it! When in my studio, I try to either work on my "big head" portrait collages or my new interest, sculpted collage heads. I also enjoy reading historical fiction and fantasy. I usually get through four or five books a month. I'm extremely interested in the medieval and Renaissance periods. Which takes me to another fun way I spend my free time. I love to go to Renaissance fairs and dress up. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays too.""Pete and I have been together eighteen years (married four). We enjoy motorcycling, traveling, antiquing, watching football, movies and just hanging out together. We spent a week this summer in Montana and Idaho touring on our motorcycles and visiting friends. We're both into Irish music and Irish history and we were hitched on St. Patrick's Day in Toledo, Ohio (fifty bucks and 25 minutes). We try to spend every St. Pat's together either in town or in Chicago. We enjoy time spent with my parents in Muskegon and his family here in Grand Rapids. If there's time left over, I also like to cook, sew, garden and knit."
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