Kelly, Founder
Kelly Wright (she/her) is a freelance brand strategist who has been based in New York for over a decade. She is the founder and team behind YUNS, a curated hardware store for beginners that aims to inspire self-reliance. She's a Pisces Sun / Aquarius Moon / Capricorn Rising.
1. What inspired you to start YUNS?
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I'm from a family of farmers and blue collar workers. Hardware stores have always been essential for our lives. We buy coffee and clothes there the same as we do our tools and equipment. Growing up loving these spaces, I saw an opportunity to reimagine the experience from a female, POC and more inclusive perspective.
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2. What do hardware stores mean to you?
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You can walk into a hardware store, look around the aisles and understand so much about the community around it. How they live, what they need, a deep sense of place all right there on the shelves.
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3. What is one thing you want to see change in your industry?
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The industry doesn't connect enough to younger, less-experienced and more diverse customers, so I want to help do that. I named the business "YUNS" because it's another way people say "y'all" in the southern Appalachian mountains. It's a place for everybody.
4. What words do you live by?
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Be hungry, not thirsty.
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5. What is something that makes you feel hopeful?
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The album "Keyboard Fantasies" by Beverly Glenn-Copeland.
