After forty years working for some of the most iconic retailers in San Francisco and having my own business, I’m somewhat retired but not done yet. I’ve been lucky to have worked in the creative departments for Esprit, The Gap, Williams Sonoma and Red Envelope, gaining invaluable experience along the way. In 2009, I found 12 Small Things as an online collection of fair trade, fashionable gifts from artisans in need of support around the world, opening a showroom store in Bernal Heights in 2016.

I studied fine arts at the School of Visual Arts in NYC and earned a BFA from UC Santa Cruz where I met my husband in 1979. Our two daughters attended public schools here in San Francisco and graduated from UC campuses, later returning to the city where they live with their husbands. Looking forward, 2026 is my first year of retirement and I’m excited to see how the months ahead unfold. I’ve got a long list in my head of the projects I’d like to tackle and a vision for the kind of artwork I’d like to create. Stay tuned to see what happens next in my blog here at lauriekanes.com and follow me on Instagram @lauriedkanes, Laurie