"Shop Local Steeplechase"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2020
Versailles, Ky. – Keelie McClellan, senior at Woodford County High School, is volunteering her time and talents with local businesses to promote the importance of shopping and supporting local businesses in the midst of the pandemic.
Early during the pandemic, Keelie McClellan had an idea of how she could help her community - she would reach out to local businesses in Woodford County impacted by COVID-19 and offer her talents in graphic design. McClellan reached out to Steeplechase Centre and Spark Community Cafe in downtown Versailles to see if there were more opportunities for her to help.
“Working with Steeplechase Centre and Spark Café has allowed me to learn about graphic design in a hands-on way while also doing what I love to help my community in the trying times of a pandemic. I’m very grateful to Jessica and Tristan for giving me these opportunities,” said Keelie.
Keelie McClellan is applying to the Hite Arts Institute, College of Fine Arts at the University of Louisville with hopes of attending U of L Fall 2021. She is currently a member of Deca, National Honor Society, and Yearbook.
“We were blown away by this student’s willingness to support her community, and so happy we’ve had the pleasure of working with her this semester - this is exactly the type of thing the world needs now,” says Jessica of Steeplechase Tristan of Spark respectively. “Finding a local student to reach out in their own time to help share our shared missions for community support was truly amazing.”
An introduction from Emily Downey, President of the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce kickstarted the conversation to the Shop Local Steeplechase project which was a creative collaboration with Jessica Kite and Keelie McClellan. The art piece includes actual members of the Versailles community so that people can recognize their friends and neighbors. The goal was to create a piece that depicted a really warm and playful representation of why people love Versailles, showcase the strong and supportive small business community and bring awareness to the amazing impact that shop small has on local communities.
Steeplechase Centre is a multi-tenant commercial space that was renovated in 2018 and is now home to local businesses like The Galerie, Spotz Gelato, Fitness Plus, and Rolling Oven Taproom to name a few. Kite Riddle Holding’s CEO Jordan Kite, developer of the complex says, “It is really an amazing thing to see how Court Street has come to life over the last two years here at Steeplechase. This complex was previously home to the Versailles United Methodist Church for nearly a century, and while we will always honor that rich history, it is really exciting that this project was able to create a new use for the space, adding 10 small businesses to this corner of downtown [Versailles]. During this time of Covid it is so important we come together to support the small business - small businesses are the community’s neighbors, family, and friends.”
All of the tenants at Steeplechase Centre are incorporated into the artwork of the Shop Local Steeplechase poster which has a local “Where’s Waldo” feel about the art piece - incorporating the community while highlighting the shop local initiative. Even Mayor Brian Traugott of Versailles and his family have been illustrated making their appearance in the poster.
“I love the creative process and was so excited that when Keelie and I first chatted we had a pretty similar idea of what we wanted this project to accomplish! Outside of a fun creative project, I wanted to give Keelie insight into a creative project for clients from concept, client brief, through finished product - to build her portfolio with each piece of that process,” said Owner of the Galerie, Jessica Kite.
“In my years working alongside various art and graphics teams across the US, I realized there are so many real-world career opportunities that I didn’t know existed when I was a high school or even college student. I imagine many may not be top of mind for creative students even today, and there is so much opportunity out there for creatives! Some designers design for exclusively digital platforms - while others are designing for physical deliverables. We talked about a project that would be a wonderful digital piece, but also lend itself well to physical printing to contribute to Keelie’s portfolio range - and this Shop Local graphic is fantastic!”
This unique graphic will hopefully be available in 2021 for pre-order purchases on tote bags and t-shirts to support the shop local movement and help small businesses needing support.
Keelie is also donating her time and talent to another Versailles organization also dedicated to supporting the Woodford County community - Spark Community Cafe located on 175 N Main Street. The Spark mission is simple: provide farm-to-table meals to all guests, regardless of their ability to pay. Guests of the cafe are able to enjoy a wonderful meal and prices are all set as suggested donations so guests can pay what they can embracing a “pay it forward” concept that has really been championed by the community.
Keelie has worked on menu and web designs for Spark and also used her skills to add some fun and color into their website. The menu is seasonal but some favorites include a grilled reuben, fresh chef salad and a ham and pimento sandwich.
For more information or to donate to Spark please visit: www.sparkcommunitycafeky.org/contact
In these unprecedented times, it is important to continue to support local businesses that bring joy to your community!
Thank you to NYC photographer, FIT Graduate Kelsey Ann Rose and Lori Messner, Owner and Graphics Specialist of Lexington-Based, Adcolor Graphics for participating in a Q&A virtual roundtable to discuss their path into the graphics industry, formal training, and areas of expertise.
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Media Contact
(859) 309 - 6749
TheExchangeMediaCo@gmail.com
Social: @SteeplchaseCentre @sparkcommunitycafe
Tenants of Steeplechase Centre
Rolling Oven
The Galerie
Spotz Gelato
Cafe Lilu
Fitness Plus
Amanda Hacker Photography
Lindsey Lay Photography and Branding
Transcendence Podcast
All That Is Lovely - A Beauty Boutique
Keith and Melissa Photography
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