Meet the Maker: tenn prairie
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Klanci Gauthier on Making and Motherhood
Klanci Gauthier is passionate about creating — both beautiful things and a balanced life. She and husband Evan started tenn prairie in 2019 so that they could work together, make functional art, and parent their two young boys. This #mompreneur has learned a few things along the way to share with us.
What did you do before becoming a maker?
It's hard to remember a time before tenn prairie, but I used to be an attorney for the City of Chicago. We loved Chicago but knew the city wouldn't work for our growing family. We landed in Nashville, and lucky that we did because it allowed us to start this business. We started tenn prairie in 2019 on our back porch. We did our first show at the Nashville Flea Market in July. Was it crazy hot? Yes, yes it was. But people bought our pieces, and it was the first time we thought to ourselves, "we can do this!"
What is your biggest joy in being both a mother and an entrepreneur?
Showing my boys that women are badasses. I want them to see that mama can take care of our family and still go after her goals. Plus, they are pretty dang cute.
How about your biggest #mompreneur challenge?
Time management. The irony is that I think every mother would give that same answer regardless of what she's doing. Stay at home, working in an office, it doesn't really matter, there is never enough time in the day to be everything to everyone. The best I can do is to take care of my boys without losing sight of myself and my passion. And, of course, to be kind to myself as well because I will not always get it right.
What do running a business and being a mom have in common?
Did someone mention time management? Honestly, it's the biggest commonality in probably anything you do. If you can't keep yourself accountable to some type of schedule, while still being kind to yourself and your family, then achieving your goals is going to be really hard.
What is a typical day like for you?
Well let's be honest, nothing is typical these days. But before COVID-19 changed the world, I would take my three-year-old to school and then come home, put my one-year-old to sleep and then I would get straight to work. The only time I can get any work done is when the kids are at school or napping.
What gifts are you giving or hoping to receive for Mother's Day?
I like food gifts, I'm not going to lie. HiFi Cookies is a bakery everyone should know about. The same can be said for CaityPies. If you're not obsessed with food items like myself, Hey Mavens makes beautiful body-positive lingerie. Gold + Ivy makes modern candles that smell yummy. The Perfect Little Life has a great Mother's Day bundle going on right now. You can get premade batch cocktails at The Old School Nashville every Wednesday and Saturday. And last but not least, my favorite Batch gift box right now is the "Waking up in Nashville" Gift Batch.
What does your ideal Mother's Day look like?
Sleep! Please let mama sleep! After that, this year I will likely request a yummy over-the-top breakfast and then a drive through our favorite neighborhoods.
Anything else you want Nashville to know?
I want to give a big shout out to Ashtin Paige Photography. She took all of the product shots included here, and she did it pro bono to help out local makers. She's a rad mama and member of the Nashville maker community. Check her out!
You can buy tenn prairie goods online today from Batch for the mothers in your life! Order by May 5th for guaranteed delivery by Mother’s Day.