Conversations with Katie Gigliotti

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Gigliotti.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started? 
Kids ‘N’ Stuff (KNS) is a vibrant organization with a rich history. Dr. Rebecca Mitchell, former first lady of Albion College, founded KNS in 2002, and for over two decades, we’ve been dedicated to making a positive impact on our community. What started as an innovative idea, inspired by children’s museums across the country has grown into a place of play-based learning for young children, families, and caregivers, sparking creativity and wonder throughout our region. 

Our location, built in the 1870s, has been home to many community resources throughout its history and has been an anchor of Albion’s main street for more than a century. Serving approximately 30,000 visitors annually, the museum has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors since opening its doors in 2002. Formerly a JC Penney’s department store, the large footprint of the original building has served us well over the years and is naturally set up for future expansion even after two decades. In 2023, the staff and board tackled several exhibit and facility improvements and enhancements, and we’re excited to tackle even more in 2024. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Like so many other for-profit businesses and museums, Kids ‘N’ Stuff was financially impacted by COVID-19. As a hands-on children’s museum, operations were shuttered for ten months, staff were furloughed, and visitors were slow to return upon reopening in June 2021. The organization, in some ways, is still rebounding from the pandemic, as so many areas of our operations were stunted during that time. From June – December 2022 we saw an increase in daily visitation, field trips, programs, and events at a number on track to exceed pre-pandemic visitation. As operations continue to rebound, the staff and board of directors are eager to increase staff and tackle essential, deferred facility improvements and strategic projects that will help position us to serve visitors for another twenty-plus years. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I knew from an early age that I wanted to work at a museum, and for the past ten-plus years, I’ve been fortunate enough to be doing just that. After graduating from Michigan State University, I did hold other non-museum positions and all of them have helped shape my career today. I love thinking about creative ways to reach people from my time working in advertising, I enjoy the budgeting process and data analysis from my time working in for-profit organizations, and I love talking to people in different communities and advocating for non-profits and museums. 

If I had to say what sets me apart, it’s my work ethic. For me, work is play, and play is work. Personally and professionally, I love to be busy, and I love seeing positive and tangible results. It’s especially fitting that my role as Executive Director is to plan for the future of play. Collectively, our staff and board work extremely hard, and it’s very rewarding to see smiling faces through our door on a daily basis. 

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Absorb as much knowledge as you can, learn from those around you, be yourself, but embrace a culture of learning and continuous improvement. 

Pricing:

• Admission – $7 per person
• Admission EBT card holders – $2 per person
• Field Trip visits – $4.50 or $6 depending on day of the week
• Memberships – $100 Family level, $125 Family+ level
• Programs and Events – varies (check website)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kidsnstuff.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidsnstuffmuseum
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kidsnstuff

Image Credits
Jena McKnight