DeGaetano Designs Her Own Path To Success
PIERCETON — With her father working as a contractor and teaching her woodworking skills early on, Kelsea DeGaetano seems to have slipped seamlessly into running her own small business refurbishing, designing and painting. Growing up in Warsaw and a Warsaw Community High School graduate, she began woodworking for 4-H and then tinkering with refurbishing projects throughout high school.
“I wanted something that didn’t take quite as long as from scratch,” she commented, which led her to finding old objects and furniture and revamping them.
With so many projects DeGaetano began to run out of room which prompted her to begin selling her items at craft and vintage shows. As she began to get more customers many people asked if she had a store they could visit. However, she had plans to attend Indiana Wesleyan University and study interior design. After some classes in interior design she discovered the path she wanted to be on was different and decided to graduate with an associate’s degree focusing on the fine arts.
Since she already had a customer base with her business, she began to look into finding a building and starting her own business. “I decided I needed to follow my true heart and my true passion,” DeGaetano recalled, which led her to a large building for sale in Pierceton. She decided, “If I’m going to jump in, it might as well be with both feet.” Her store opened in July 2014.
Running her own business allowed her to further her craft and skills. She enjoys some of the larger projects such as building a farm table or reconditioning an old hutch. Though she has always had a soft spot for vintage and antique items. Growing up her parents were renovating an 1860s farmhouse they purchased. “Most girls had princesses and frills,” DeGaetano admitted. “I collected little antique statues. That was my thing.”
One skill that fuels her passion for creating and designing is she continues to get better at seeing the pieces of an item as well as what needs to be fixed to make it new again. “Seeing something that, even though it’s rough and broken, there’s still hope to renew it,” DeGaetano emphasized. A memorable customer had a house that caught fire and she was able to use the old, antique doors to create eight pieces for the customer’s new home.
As someone who has received a great deal of support from her parents, Scott and Sirenna McDonald, and her husband, Lorenzo, DeGaetano also wants to give back to the community. She talks with young people, particularly young women, who are interested in learning more about being a small business owner.
She encourages them to find their passion and what they are good at and find their own way to make it into a career. She also mentions the typical career path is not the right choice for everyone. For instance, although she owns a small business, she found the art classes she took in school to be far more helpful than business classes. For her, “it’s very much what you put into it is what you get out of it.”
Staying up with the latest fashions and upcoming trends can be difficult in staying ahead of the market. However, she admitted she still is on a learning curve. She was able to recently ensure her store can be found on Google Maps.
DeGaetano enjoys baking, cooking, traveling and painting. In fact she admitted she would rather paint an entire wall than vacuum. She and her husband also like to spoil their dog, Leroy.