Daily Inspiration: Meet Kendra Langley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendra Langley.

Hi Kendra, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I’m the one woman show who manages, creates, and does everything behind Pink Door KC. I found myself in the spring of 2021 in a not-so-great place mentally. I was spending much more time at home and too many hours to count staring at a computer screen. My friends will tell you that I started with different iterations (ahem, friendship bracelets…which come to think of it, I don’t think I even finished one of those) of anything to keep my mind occupied. I randomly ordered a resin kit, not thinking much of it other than just a fun experiment.

I started experimenting with different colors, glitters, and really anything I found interesting. It became my form of therapy. A way of stimulating my brain from anything other than a computer screen. I started making earrings and barrettes in fun colors and anything that “spoke to me.” It was at that point that I also realized how low my self-esteem had gotten. Wearing my newly made earrings and barrettes led me back to old confidence that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I wanted others to feel as fun and beautiful as I finally had again.

I half-jokingly told my friend Jason Wilson, owner of Dane Fabrication, that I wanted to sell my jewelry in his Crossroads gallery space during First Fridays. I owe a lot of me being able to really start out my business to him. Our aesthetics are completely different. His space is very neutral colors and there I was selling hot pink barrettes and neon yellow earrings on one of his tabletops. I remember how nervous I was that no one else was going to like the things that I had made. I only knew that I liked what I was making.

My customers ranged that evening from a young girl asking her dad to buy her a pair of my barrettes to someone exclaiming over a pair of embellished sunglasses that “this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen” and immediately wore them around the gallery. Ever since then I never really looked back or questioned if anything I was making was good enough after that. The fact that I was helping to make other people feel good about themselves was all I needed to know.

The story behind the brand name, Pink Door KC, goes back to a few friends sitting around at a bar jokingly dreaming up business ventures a few years ago. I’ll be honest… jewelry, barrettes, and sunglasses were not part of the original idea (bleaching a certain body part was, but that’s a story for another day). I knew I always loved the idea of the name Pink Door KC and even bought the domain name before there was even a business.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Everything I know about my jewelry making is completely self-taught. There’s been a lot of experiment fails along the way, but that’s what has made the entire creative process of what I do fun and interesting.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
All of my products are based in resin. I hand mix and pour every single item I sell. You won’t see a lot of things in the same colors because everything I mix and prepare is an extremely small batch. I love combining different glitters and textures to create something unique and different.

The barrettes are usually what takes me the longest to make because after I pour them into their molds, they have to cure for at least eight hours or more. They are a labor of love and it’s always fun to see how they turn out each and every time.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I love this question. After starting my business, I realized what it really is like to be an entrepreneur. I have much of an appreciation now for artists and creative makers. I always ask them their back story and how they started out.

You will connect on a whole different level because you’ll learn that a lot of how makers got started really does involve a piece of their heart. What has worked well for me is just being myself honestly. Being true and authentic to what you really believe in and stand for will always shine through.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.pinkdoorkc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkdoorkc/