About Us
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Hello Happiness Creativity Center is a nonprofit community of learning, connection, support, and renewal through creativity. Based on a foundation of kindness, imagination and respect, our mission is to provide affordable access to creative supplies and experiences for everyone.
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Hello Happiness Creativity Center is an inspiring space to visit whenever you need a little creative inspiration...and a friendly smile!
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SHOP HAPPY
Shop Happy is a small but mighty thrift store that is full of extremely affordable new and used art and craft supplies. Shoppers of all ages are invited to explore the many nooks and crannies that our visitors agree is the greatest treasure hunting spot around! Our prices ensure everyone can leave with the creative tools they need. We even have a free area so NO ONE leaves empty handed.
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Shop Happy is a vital part of our mission and the community ensures it’s success by shopping AND donating the items. Together we keep 1,500-2,000 pounds a week out of landfills.
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In addition to donated art and craft supplies, 'Shop Happy' also features new canvases, original art gifts, lovingly curated kits, and more! Many who visit our store think our prices are too low, and they ain't wrong... but that is by design. We want everyone to be able to afford creativity!
If you are financially fortunate and want to support us further, round up your total, add a donation to your order or leave a cash donation in our donation jar at the register!
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PLAY HAPPY
Our studio is a fun (and slightly chaotic) space full of colorful supplies and tools where we host classes, demos, events and programs geared to adults 16 and older (Sorry no exceptions at this time as our space is not suitable to host kids). Everything from scrapbooking, to crocheting, to painting, to metal stamping, to jewelry making will be featured activities in the studio.
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Visit our 'Classes' tab for more info about upcoming events!
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INSPIRE HAPPY
Just walk in our door! Our fun, colorful, light-hearted space will leave you feeling happy and inspired.
Our friendly and knowledgeable staff is here to guide you on your creative journey.
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Ask us if you have any questions and let us help you figure out how to start. We are here for YOU and can't wait to get you started on a journey of creativity!
OUR START
Founder Kim Geiser has been on a life long creative journey that lead to the creation of Hello Happiness Creativity Center. Growing up with makers all around her she started making it her career in 1999 when she opened her first store with 3 other creative ladies. That was the start of pretty much every creative endeavor possible! Writing for magazines, teaching all over the country, solo shows, art booths, several stores, and publishing a book are all parts of Kim’s creative life, as well as evolving her personal style and life to reflect her colorful journey.
In 2016 she opened Hello Happiness, a small pop-up shop in downtown Sheboygan that changed everything. She met many people in the non profit world during this time, and discovered that serving others was really what she wanted to do. When the pop-up shop closed in 2017, Kim took a position at social services as a supervised visitation provider. This experience was pivotal in realizing that the non profit world and serving others was what she needed to do but on her own and using her creativity.
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In February of 2020, the idea to create a space that would give people a creative voice combining all of her life experiences was born. A place people from ALL walks of life could gather to get creative together, where people could shop for affordable supplies and where a circular economy model could be used to keep things in circulation and out of landfills. A model that creates connection, support, learning and renewal. Kim jokingly asked her Facebook friends if someone would buy her the building at 1504 New Jersey Avenue in Sheboygan to make Hello Happiness Creativity Center a reality and someone did. A woman from her past reached out and offered an affordable $100,000 loan to purchase the building and from there it all fell into place, despite a pandemic that changed life for everyone.
Guided by what seemed to be something bigger than anyone, all the right people joined in and supported this idea of Kim’s in all the ways that were needed to create this little corner of happiness that just continues to grow and improve every day with the incredible support of the community.