Who would have thought that at the age of 31 years old I would be running my family business, Sholdt Jewelry? Custom Jewelry Design?! Most days, I still can’t believe it. Growing up, I never would have imagined sitting here at Sholdt Jewelry in Seattle, Washington. I wanted to be a mom, a gymnast, or a veterinarian; none of which I am today. Well, on second thought – I do have a fur-baby, Pearl. She is a 7 month old Rottweiler and the love of my life! I am so lucky that she gets to join me at work every day. Pearl is now the official Sholdt Jewelry mascot.
It’s amazing how we grow up thinking we will become one thing and life turns us into something completely different. I have vivid memories of visiting my dad, Brian Sholdt, and my uncle, Dusty Sholdt, at Sholdt Jewelry when I was young. My siblings and I would make a mess of the wax room, roll pennies out in the rolling mills and pick up tiny diamonds off of the floor. Over the years, I would go into the shop on occasion to clean for spending money. After graduating from Seattle Pacific University, there were a few years that I spent my time as a nanny, serving cocktails, and teaching swimming lessons. I didn’t have a vision – I didn’t know what I wanted to become. In 2006 I fell into a fun retail gig where I sold some pretty amazing jewelry, including the Sholdt Jewelry line. It was during that time that I began to realize that my family business builds an incredible product, custom jewelry design and that people actually Sholdt Jewelry! I became incredibly proud. Proud of the foundation that my great grandfather, Milton Sholdt, set, proud of the company, Sholdt Jewelry, my grandpa and grandma built, proud of the incredible custom jewelry design my father designed, and proud of the relationships he and my Uncle Dusty Sholdt nourished over the years. Now, it’s my turn to run the family business!
I began working alongside my dad, Brian Sholdt and Uncle Dusty Sholdt in 2008. What a journey it has been! I’ll tell ya, working with family business wasn’t always easy (or fun for that matter). It was a lot of hard work that required patience (which I lack), understanding, and humor. We would always try to have a good time. When things got stressful, I could always count on my Dad, Brian Sholdt, to say something ridiculous to get me laughing. If you’ve met him, you would understand. He and I have always had a unique dynamic. We fight hard and we love hard. He taught me everything I know about this family business. Watching him over the years, I’ve learned to sell better, how to create lasting relationships with our customers, how to create uh-MAZING custom jewelry design, and how to design Sholdt Jewelry. And Uncle Dusty Sholdt – I am blessed beyond words to have spent five days a week, for the last 6 years, with this guy. He always makes me smile, calms me down in moments of utter chaos, and supports me in all of my life decisions.
When they told me of their plans to retire, I was excited, nervous, and terrified. Welcome to reality. I, Kalee Sholdt, am now running Sholdt Jewelry, providing custom jewelry design for customers all over the country.
Now, here I am. I get to wake up each day feeling excited to come to my family business, Sholdt Jewelry. I’ll be honest, the unknown is a bit daunting. Yet, I am always hopeful for the future. Not many people get to do what I do: work with happy people and play with pretty things every day. Can I get an Amen?! Life is good and I am blessed. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me and this amazing company, Sholdt Jewelry.
-Kalee Sholdt
Owner of Sholdt Jewelry.
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