Our Story

Hey Ya'll! We're so happy you're here! 

Kristin

For as long as I can remember, I have been obsessed with fashion and clothing! This little dream runs generations deep. Around 1950 my paternal grandfather, Wally, decided he wanted to be his own boss.  With the support of his wife, Jean, they opened a women’s dress shop in Philadelphia, PA. Later, they relocated and opened another store in Phoenixville, PA. In 1956 they opened a third and final store, Wally’s Fashions, at the storefront they purchased in Brigantine, NJ. Wally and Jean ran the store for many years; and Jean continued to well after Wally was gone. The store is still there today, run by my artistic, creative, charismatic aunt. Although it’s a brick and mortar only, it is still a favorite store of many ladies to this day.

In 2020, hard times fell on many small business owners. I worked very hard for 15 years building a clientele as a small-town hair stylist and it all came crashing down in the blink of an eye.  I chose to take a different path when one door closed – quite literally. While my whole world seemed to be falling apart, I became hopeful when the idea for K & Co. was placed on my heart. I’m notoriously not a risk-taker and don’t like to stray far from the beaten path, but after a wild year, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take a leap of faith! Fear set in and I felt it wasn't the right time, so I put this dream on the back burner. A year passed, and while talking to one of my favorite people on this earth, we discovered we had the same dream, and she was looking for a change! The 2 letters in the original name even made sense, so K & Co. was born again, but better this time! Hallelujah!

Crystal is a true gem. She has given me the inspiration, support, encouragement, and partnership to begin again and dream big. This is a way to keep my grandfather’s idea alive, even though he has been gone for quite some time, I hope that he is beaming with pride and that he will embark on this journey with us and lead us to the great success he achieved!

Crystal

They say that timing is everything—and I totally agree. As a young mama, I entered the workforce immediately following high school graduation with one goal—to earn a stable living. I was never entirely sure what my purpose was outside of being a new mom, however I knew that I needed to get to work. Throughout the 19 years that followed, I gave birth to a second child, seized an opportunity to return to school and earned a degree from Penn State University. Additionally, I gained over 11 years of leadership experience across various fields. While every experience brought me joy in different ways and helped to shape me into the person that I am today, I knew that something was still missing. 

I love to shop (spoiler alert!), and I love to dream big, which often meant that I would picture myself starting a boutique where my career would align with my passion. However, taking that leap always felt too risky. I was afraid to lose the security of employment and feared not having what it takes to be successful in the industry. So those dreams—they never became a reality. 

Until one day, it was no longer a dream. I remember the day that everything changed with total clarity. I was sitting in a new house, in a new city, working in the same position I held over the past five years. I was talking with Kris, as we do every day, but on this day the conversation was very different. We were discussing where we are in life and what we want to pursue in the future when we quickly realized that we share the same exact dream. It was in that moment that we understood the power of timing and how everything works out when it is meant to for a reason. When something is meant to be, it will be. Throughout adulthood, I always find myself recalling the ever so true phrase, “everything, in time”.