Kari Jo Kelso and Kelso & Co. Celebrate 10 Years
On Feb. 23, 2016, Kari Jo Kelso of Macomb followed her dreams.
Ten years later, what started as Rosebud Designs & Apparel for the veterinarian-turned-clothing-designer- on-the-side has morphed into a unique collection of clothing and accessories rebranded as Kelso & Co.
In addition, she entered into the event venue business nearly three years ago with The Small Towner on the square; however, that building has been transformed into her office to accommodate her orders and merchandise.
The 2015 Oklahoma State University School of Veterinary Medicine moved back to her hometown to practice small animal medicine. After returning to Macomb, she found her love – and a niche – for entrepreneurship.
'I get asked a lot what made me start a t-shirt business nine months after graduating veterinary school. The short answer? It wasn’t part of the plan. I wasn’t 'into fashion.' I didn’t dream of owning an apparel brand. And if I’m being honest, I didn’t even think it would last six months,' Kelso shared. 'Life just… rerouted me. I had just taken my first job as a mixed animal vet in Texas when my mom was diagnosed with Stage IV triple-negative breast cancer. All I wanted was to be home with her, but flights from Austin to middle-of-nowhere Illinois add up fast, so I started Rosebud’s Designs and Apparel as a way to make a little extra money and to give myself a creative outlet during a really heavy season.'
She started out drawing cow designs on her iPad and listing them for sale on her website. The first designs in 2016 were 'Coffee then Cows,' and a drawing of a cow with a headband and feather called 'The Hippie Cow.' Her mom helped her name the business, after Kari Jo's grandmother, Rosemary.
'My mom wore some of the very first Rosebud's tees to her chemo appointments.
Looking back, I don’t think this business started because I loved t-shirts. I think it started because I needed a little piece of home with me,' she explained.
Kelso moved back to Macomb in Summer 2016 and continued working on the business while also working as a full-time veterinarian in a local clinic. But after losing her mom, who was just 52, she started to question everything.
'Why is it we think the secure way to live is to work full-time, get the benefits and retire at 60? My mother didn’t live to see 60. For the first few years out of veterinary school, I was working 60+ hours a week as a veterinarian and having to miss out on weekends with family, experiences with friends and having to stick around town to be on call. I was living for work,' Kelso reflected. 'My perspective on life changed when I lost my mom, and by 2019, I quit my full-time job and started working part-time to dive into my t-shirt side hustle. I wanted to spend more time with family and live life with intention rather than go through the motions with a daily grind that never slowed down.'
And since making that decision, she focuses most of her energy on the 'family brand,' while still putting her veterinary skills to work one day a week in Bushnell.
As for Kelso & Co., the business and brand continue to morph. Rosebud's Design & Apparel was named as such until 2020 when she changed the name to Rosebud Tee's LLC in 2020, and then rebranded again in 2023 as Kelso & Co., and moving from small-town themed tees to farm-inspired apparel.
Kelso sells her cleverly-designed goods to 'hundreds of boutiques and stores' across the U.S., as well as to retail customers online (visit shopkelsoandco.com) and at local markets. While she doesn't have a storefront, her items are available in a vendor space at 309 Marketplace (formerly Nostalgia) and occasionally, she will be opening the doors to the former Small Towner for special inventory/ warehouse sales to sell her wares that have been inspired from her childhood.
'These come from watching my Great Grandpa George, my Papa Roger, and my dad and uncle farm. I take the funny farmer- isms they say and turn them into t-shirts or prints,' Kelso said. 'I get a lot of inspiration from vintage seed sacks, vintage seed hats and 1980s-1990s farm attire.'
And growing up in and around agriculture sets her merchandise apart from others, she thinks. She's always been passionate about sharing agriculture with others and helping bridge the gap between consumer and farmer.
'There’s lots of misinformation out there about agriculture, and people rarely turn to the farmer to ask questions,' she added. 'Our fun eye-catching designs start conversations about agriculture off the farm, helping bridge that gap.'
All of her designs are done in-house by her and another designer, and Kelso & Co. manufactures its own apparel, which includes polo shirts, shorts, hoodies, swim wear and sweatshirts. Approximately 100-500 pieces of an item are made, and then sold online and in stores across the country. Bulk manufacturing takes place at partner factories and t-shirts are printed locally in Bushnell at Midstate Graphics.
Kelso is continuing to expand her product offerings, and just recently, spent nearly one week at the Dallas Market, where buyers and owners converge to buy for their stores and boutiques. While getting out and about to market her goods is all in a day's work, her favorite part of the business is the creative side.
'Getting to see product development from the idea through to design and through to production. It feels like Christmas morning every time we get samples of our own designs,' she noted. 'The most challenging aspect of this business is the ever-changing landscape of retail and digital marketing.
It's a lot of learning how to roll with the punches of the economy and adapting to new algorithm changes in advertising and social media.'
“I want to especially thank our local customers who have been with us from the beginning. Without them, this business would have never got off the ground,” Kelso said. “Thank you for a fun and exciting 10 years. I can’t wait to see what the next 10 brings!”
