Kate Hammero sells unique and seasonal handcrafted items through her business, Handmade by Hammero. Photos: Kate Hammero
Local maker specializes in beautiful handmade crafts.
Kate Hammero has been teaching art to students at Wayzata Public Schools’ Kimberly Lane Elementary School for nine years, but it wasn’t until COVID-19 that she realized she needed to start making her own art. “I needed to fulfill my own creative passions,” she says.
The Maple Grove resident, who had dabbled with making pottery and clay necklaces, set her sights on custom engravings via a laser engraver. “I was fascinated with lasers and being able to design on the computer,” she says. Hammero bought a basic engraver but soon found she wasn’t the only one in her family who was intrigued. “My dad, Steve, was right there with me trying to figure out the laser,” she says. “It was everybody’s passions colliding.”
Hammero teamed up with her amateur woodworker father, and they began creating art together—framed art, magnets and plant sticks. Before long, Hammero was overrun by their creations. “I was just making art at first,” she says. “Then there was too much of it.
“It definitely became bigger than I thought,” she adds.
Hammero decided to start selling her creations on Etsy—and that’s when Homemade by Hammero was born. Three years later, Hammero has had over 3,000 sales on Etsy, and her work can be found in a handful of boutiques across the state from Carver Junk Company in Chaska and Round Barn Trading Company in Andover to Merchants on Main Street Boutique in Sauk Centre and North & Shore in Duluth. Over the summer, Hammero added a remodeled camper to serve as a mobile storefront at various craft fairs and pop up events.
Hammero now sells a host of items from engraved s’mores sticks and matching wooden trays to key chains, wine charms and first-day-of-school signs—all in her signature simple, dark designs on light wood style that she describes as “woodworker meets boho.” Most items are priced between $3 and $30. “I aim to create art that’s accessible to any budget,” she says.
Her most popular creations are themed token jars that suggest ways to combat boredom and offer date night activities, dinner ideas, daily affirmations and even cheekier affirmations. Meanwhile, Hammero’s personal favorite are the pocket hugs, which are wooden tokens that parents can give their kids to carry to remind them of their love. “It ties into being a teacher,” she says.
Hammero is always on the search for new ideas to try out with her laser engraver, and she loves coming up with her own creations. “The joy is making new things,” she says. “I don’t love mass producing things.” She also loves taking custom orders and problem solving about how to make a customer’s vision come to life. “I’m always trying to make it better,” she says. “I hope I can create little moments of happiness.”
Hammero says making art is the best reward. “It’s not always about the selling for me. “I love to create something new,” she says.
Plus, she says working on her art has made her a better teacher. “I’ve let loose,” she says. “I’m better at letting the kids follow their own ideas.” To encourage them, she shows her work to her students. “It’s fun to share my art with the kids,” she says.
Now, Hammero is dreaming about fostering creativity with the public. “The ultimate dream would be my own brick and mortar,” she says. “I’d love to have a classroom for makers.”
Holiday Shopping
Look for the Handmade by Hammero camper at the Art & Gift Expo at the Minneapolis Convention Center November 1–3, the Erickson Farmstead in Isanti on November 9 and the St. Paul Union Depot November 16.
Etsy: HandmadeByHammero
Facebook: Handmade by Hammero
Instagram: @handmadebyhammero
