The Classic Grace Apron, a Luxury Apron for Women

Where It All Started: $5.25 an Hour and a Work Ethic

My first legal job was at fifteen, bagging groceries at our local grocery store. Packing orders just right, carting them out to customers' cars, loading and unloading, holding casual conversations with all types of everyday people. Our local store had a reputation for top selections, excellent customer service, and a commitment to putting the customer first. I made $5.25 an hour, worked about 8-12 hours a week, and coveted every shift. This is the job where I learned some of the best foundational skills for business, relationship building, and life. I enjoyed and thrived on customer interactions.

The Question That Stayed With Me for 25 Years

I'll never forget one night, I was cleaning the cafe before closing, I must have been sixteen, and an older man was sitting down, maybe grading papers.

He asked me how I was doing and what I wanted to do with my life.

I told him I was probably going to study Advertising in college because I thought I could earn a good living. And he replied, "What is it that you really want to do?"

"Study cultural anthropology. I love human behavior, history, and the way people move and communicate."

I told him I didn't think it was possible. He said, "Oh, but it is. Don't worry about the money, do what you love and the money will come later."

Why I Designed The Classic Grace Apron

It's so ironic, because I'm sitting here, gosh, I don't know, maybe 25 years later. And I really didn't follow what I loved at first; I followed a general idea and path. And then it began to take form, and then suddenly, I find myself here, typing a blog post about a story, reflecting on how I didn't think I could ever find something I truly loved as much as I loved helping people get their groceries into the car that they just paid for to make a warm meal, but I think I have.

 

 

I designed an apron that is useful, beautiful, well-made, and luxurious. It gives women the opportunity to toss aside the cheaper garment they've been wearing for years and own a piece of clothing that will honor all that they do.

A Small Act of Joy in a Noisy World

Call me crazy, but I understand the wildness of capital-driven markets, how life has shifted toward the private equity funds and the hands of people holding reins on futures we can't even comprehend. But when you take away all of the headlines, the email subject lines, the constant urgency, you realize that this human-driven mess came from something.

And the most I can do, while I recognize the wheel, is spin it in a way that makes something joyful, quality, useful, and happy — because I celebrate the everyday, the grind. 

I hold a deep reverence for that 15-year-old girl, hands full of grocery bags, heart full of belief. She trusted, in ways she could not yet name, that there was something more waiting for her, something just beyond reach.

And now, she is no longer carrying groceries. She is carrying a laptop, a vision, and a life shaped by her own hands. One rooted in grace, built in motion, and lived fully in the space between grit and beauty.

Cassidy, modeling the Classic Grace Apron, Aster Purple Medusa Print 

With Grace Always,

Cassidy