She keeps finding a new way

The Sarnia Journal has partnered with local photographer Art Connolly to feature his captivating “Humans of Sarnia” series as he delves into the lives and experiences of everyday people in Sarnia.

Kaitlyn Stout's path to Sarnia has been anything but a straight line.

She was born in Saskatchewan and moved to Alberta when she was just a year old. As a youngster, she remembers her family moving to Sarnia, where she attended Grades 3 and 4 before the family moved back to Alberta. They would spend the next 10 years there before her parents eventually returned to Sarnia.

Kaitlyn stayed in Alberta.

Her family's frequent moves were largely connected to her father's career. He ran the shops at GATX Rail, and, as Kaitlyn explains, "When they needed a new supervisor, then we would get shuffled off to a new location."

Her family was close-knit—her dad, mom, and younger brother. Her mother was a teacher, and Kaitlyn grew up learning, perhaps without realizing it at the time, how to adapt to change.

Eventually, Sarnia became home again.

At 20, Kaitlyn returned to Sarnia, but life later took her back to Alberta. She eventually returned to Sarnia once again, this time at 28 with her 14-month-old daughter.

She laughs when she talks about that final move.

"I came back here when I was 28 and now I'm done. I'm too old to go anywhere else."

It turns out that staying put was a pretty good decision.

Kaitlyn is the owner of Liv Life Upholstered, [https://www.facebook.com/LivLifePainted] a local artisan business specializing in chairs and upholstery. The business was originally called Unique Boutique, but the name Liv Life came from her daughter, Olivia.

Her journey into furniture began after she returned to Sarnia and lived with family while saving money to buy her own home. Eventually, she purchased a fixer-upper that needed plenty of work.

After spending money on renovations, there wasn't much left for furniture.

"There was no money left over for furniture and stuff, and I'd always painted things when I was younger," she explains.

Kaitlyn started visiting thrift shops and buying furniture she could transform. She painted pieces to match the different rooms in her home.

"Every room was a different colour."

Before long, the house was full.

"I loved painting furniture until the house was full of furniture and mirrors and pretty much anything I could paint."

The following summer, Kaitlyn held a garage sale. That's when people began asking if she could paint furniture for them.

"People would say, 'Oh, I would love my daughter's furniture painted.' And that was how it started!"

A business was born.

But Kaitlyn soon discovered one of the realities of being an entrepreneur: what people want changes.

The popularity of painted furniture eventually declined, and Kaitlyn adapted by moving into furniture refinishing. But after a while, she found herself losing some of the passion she once had for the work.

Then life presented her with another challenge.

She was pregnant with her second child, Hunter.

"I couldn't pick up the furniture!" she says, laughing.

Once again, Kaitlyn adapted.

This time, she turned to upholstery.

She didn't go to school to learn the trade. Instead, she taught herself by taking furniture apart and figuring out how it was constructed.

"I started taking them apart and going from there."

She gradually built up her collection of tools, developed her skills and, eventually, turned upholstery into her full-time business.

Today, the demand for her work is strong.

"I slowly built up my tools and now I just do full-time upholstery. I'm booked until December."

But perhaps one of the most interesting things about Kaitlyn's story isn't simply that she has built a successful business. It's how many times she has reinvented herself along the way.

She went from painting furniture, to refinishing furniture, to teaching herself upholstery. Each time the circumstances changed, she found another way forward.

That adaptability seems to be at the heart of who Kaitlyn is.

And she isn't doing it in isolation.

Kaitlyn is also part of Sarnia's growing and increasingly visible creative community. She speaks enthusiastically about the local businesses and entrepreneurs who create spaces where artists and makers can showcase their work.

"Oh, absolutely—places like Dog Eat Dog and The Nut Bar. Different artists can sell their stuff there."

For Kaitlyn, those businesses represent something bigger than simply places to sell products. They are part of a network of local entrepreneurs, artists and makers supporting one another and helping create a creative culture in Sarnia.

Her own story is a reflection of that community.

Kaitlyn has demonstrated that creativity isn't always about having one particular talent. Sometimes it's about being willing to learn something new, recognizing when it's time to change direction and having the courage to start again.

From a young girl who moved between provinces, to a young mother returning to Sarnia, to a woman painting thrift-store furniture for her own home, Kaitlyn has continually reinvented herself.

Today, she takes furniture that others might overlook and gives it another chance.

And in doing so, she has found her own place within Sarnia's vibrant creative community—a community filled with people who, like Kaitlyn, aren't afraid to pick something up, take it apart, figure it out and turn it into something new.

Sometimes, it seems, giving something a new life starts with simply being willing to try.

Humans of Sarnia founder Art Connolly is a man fuelled by curiosity and a passion for connecting with people in Sarnia. Inspired by the renowned “Humans of New York” series, with a camera in hand, he captures the very essence of the individuals he encounters, preserving their stories through his lens. Follow his series at the Humans of Sarnia website and on Facebook.