Today is #MississippiMonday here on our blog, and it's a bittersweet one! Our very own, Bekah Bohlen who is the Creative Projects + PR Manager at Thimblepress®, is here talking about her brand, Cat Call Collective™! Get ready to swoon over her perfectly whimsical letterpress cards and goods that we want right MEOW!
(image by: BethMorganPhotography)
What exactly is Cat Call Collective?
Cat Call Collective™ was created as my happy place (and brand) where wit, design + type could come together and play after-hours from my normal work days. This line is a place for me to combine my love for the slower tactile process of letterpress printing and my interests in current trends and modern day design. How did you get started and what was the inspiration to take the small business leap? My background is as a self-taught graphic designer, but in the last year and a half I have been transitioning and focusing these skills into the trade of letterpress print-making and stationery design while apprenticing and working for Thimblepress®! Kristen (Thimblepress®’ owner) has been such an inspiration to me in both the process of letterpress printing as well as the business basics. She’s an invaluable gem of knowledge and has been my number one resource for helping me getting my small biz going. It’s crazy and wonderful how God matches people up at just the right time in life, and this pairing was definitely an inspired and priceless one for me.
How does Mississippi play a role in your business? My husband, Martin and I have been in Jackson for the past five years as he’s been working toward getting his doctorate (which he got last week, so exciting!). We’re originally from the RTP (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) area of North Carolina, but I think our time here in Mississippi has really given me such a safe space and community to be involved in and to share my art with. There’s something so refreshing about being in a new space, with new people and no expectations that’s really freeing as a maker. And, the people I’ve met and experiences I’ve have both work and play related, have shaped not only my design style but also my life. I’ll be forever grateful to this state and it’s wealth of love, community and good hearted people. What are your goals for your brand? I hope Cat Call Collective™ will be a brand that makes people smile, giggle and share. Just last month, I had the crazy honor of winning the #GirlBoss Foundation Grant to fund a dream project of mine which we’ll be undertaking oh-so soon. Over the next year, we’ll be building out a “Tiny Shop” (think tiny house, but retail) that we’ll be able to travel about in and sell both our line and a number of other maker’s goods and lines (including Thimblepress®!). We’ll also be working on a wholesale catalog and we’ll see where it all takes us. We’re really just along for the ride- we’re prepared to work hard, pray hard and we sure hope we bless some people along the way of this adventure.
What is your background?
I went to college in North Carolina and graduated from UNC Greensboro in 2010 with a degree in Retail and Consumer Studies and a minor in Art History. Since we moved to Jackson in the Summer of 2010, I worked briefly at Kalalou as a Customer Service representative, then moved to Libby Story in Ridgeland as their Photography Assistant and later their Creative Director. Since Fall 2014, I’ve been at Thimblepress® as the Creative Projects Manager, managing things like Instagram and social media feeds, email blasts, custom orders, events and more. Where do you find inspiration? I’m super inspired by interior design and color, and I often think of art in terms of “what would look good in this space” before actually thinking of the design itself. And, thanks to my Father, I have a supreme love of witty humor and a good pun.
What do you like to do when you aren't "at the office"?
Hm, well I’m currently working a full time job, so when I’m not at work I’m often printing or designing things for Cat Call in our tiny studio office at home. But, I also love spending time with my 4 fur babies (Freud, Darwin, Frida and Kitten), I love to read, ride bikes, listen to Crime podcasts and rummage through a Flea Market or 5 on the weekends.
What are your favorite local places to shop and dine?
So tough! We live in Fondren so Aladdin, High Noon, Caet and Apothecary are a few neighborhood favorites of ours. The Library in Belhaven is also one of my favorite stops and Thimblepress®, of course, is my go-to for stationery and gift items for all occasions!
What are some of the reasons you call Mississippi home?
Mississippi will always have our hearts because of the people, the community and the experiences we’ve had here. From Delta adventures, to backyard parties, coastal weekends and deep conversations, we’ll always call it home. Wherever we take our physical belongings, our hearts will always belong here. How do you think what you are doing is helping to shape your local community as well as the image of Mississippi? Though we are about to embark on a new stage of life, I hope we can take our experiences and time in Mississippi and share about it with others wherever we go. We know our initial perception of Mississippi was nothing like our experience here, it was so so much more, and we hope that our story and our brand can be a testament to the greatness of the opportunities available here.
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We can't wait to see Cat Call Collective™ blossom as a brand. Bekah has been such an asset to Thimblepress® and we can't wait to see her grow as an artist. We are sending her off to North Carolina with hugs, kisses, well wishes and many many high fives. She's our new #1 pen pal and best friend. Make sure to follow Bekah (and her family of 4 cats + her husband) over on Instagram! Maybe you need a little inspiration or an afternoon pick-me up cat photo, she's your go-to gal!
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*NOTE: for all of our local friends-- we're now stocking Cat Call Collective™ goods at our downtown Jackson store! Come by and pick out something purr-fect!
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