We had the good fortune of connecting with K’Kio Hardin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi K’Kio, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
There were multiple reason why I wanted to start Detroit Kid. As a graphic designer and art director I wanted to carry out some of the ideas that I developed for some of the clients that I come up with for my clients at work. There are so many ideas that you come up with that aren’t selected. Get diluted by the client and so on. I wanted to see how some of the ideas I had around marketing and design would come to life. I also wanted to produce something that would inspire other people.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Art is also by profession so I can’t separate the two being that I am a graphic designer/art director. I won’t go into challenges because that is something is a longer conversation. I will go into the lessons that I have learned. I learned only on that you have to build a coalition of people to get where you are going no matter what you are trying to do. Just like I mentioned in the before that a core of customers have helped me sustain my business over the year. Without the people I have met in the industry it would be hard to be where I am today.

One of my first professional jobs out of school was at a magazine. We were a small group, but we had a pretty good reach. We were distributed nationally and in several countries. Things were going well when all of a sudden the magazine went out of business due to some management issues. Because we were such a small group and I was the only designer I didn’t have any connections in the industry. It felt almost like I was fresh out of school again when It came to looking for a job. Contrast that to later on in my career when I was working for a larger agency where people were coming and going to other agencies all the time. When I looked to move on from that agency I had a network of people I could reach out to to find another job other leads. That has been one of the biggest lessons I have leaved professionally.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I think the most energy you get is from being around people. Whether you are a social person or if you just like to people watch. I would say the festivals downtown Detroit. They aren’t quite the same as they use to be because they have moved the locations around but you can still get the same energy. So I would say the African American Festival that takes place at the Charles H. Wright Museum campus. The Detroit Institute of Arts. There is so much there to see people and art from all over the world. If you are from an area that doesn’t have Coney Island I would recommend that. There are the most well know Coney Islands downtown Detroit but they are all over the city. I don’t eat some of the food now because I have not been eating meet but the Coney Cheese fries but you usually can’t go wrong with them. Covid has had an effect on quite a few of the restaurants here so some of the places I want to recommend are temporary close or have gone out of business completely but if you are Vegan or Vegetarian Seva is a good option and for desert Astoria Pastry Shop in Greek town is a must if you have a sweet tooth. That is one of the places that is attached to so many memories for people in the city. Whether you were leaving one of the festivals downtown and wanted to walk around before you headed home.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people. I know it sounds cliché but the biggest is the customers that have supported me from the start. Some are individuals and some businesses. They purchased product and kept me going when things were slow which allowed me to keep moving forward. The Three Thirteen Store and The Speak Easy Event were two of the biggest business contributors which help me build a community of support.

Website: DetroitKid.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/DetroitKid1978

Facebook: Facebook.com/DetroitKid1978

Image Credits
Black and White images of me – Lians Jadan – Instagram @linsdadan Color images – Dante Rionda – instagram @completd

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.