14/01/2022
Meet our Founder:
"I wanted to create a business that was central to my life. Something I could enjoy with my family, a place where I would be excited to go."
Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, Alainah Paul was surrounded by the middle-American “get your hands dirty” mentality. Alainah’s earliest memories involve her coal miner grandfather doing woodworking projects and fixing everything around the house. That mindset and skill set was passed down to her father, a commercial fashion photographer by trade, who literally built her family home, she says, “from the brick and tile work to even making stained glass windows.” For Alainah and her sister, Nicole, that translated into constant craft projects–sewing, jewelry making–and Christmas presents that were always handmade. “I’m not sentimental,” she says, “but I like things with meaning.” In her first career interests, Alainah adopted both her father’s primary interests, studying fashion design and working with brands including Chanel, Chanel Luxe, Wynn, and the Venetian Hotel. Looking for something she could call her own, she then combined forces with her husband Steve, whose manufacturing background inspired them to develop two fashion sock brands together, Orange Beld and Odd Man In. As a mother of four lovely daughters, Alainah noticed her older daughter was forever looking at YouTube craft videos and stealing things from around the house for projects (talk about strong genes!). Following a date night to a local paint + sip studio, a light bulb went off in her head, and the idea for Corks ‘n Crafts was born.
