Kassie Olivera gives her grandparents credit for the success of her business, Unique Creations. “Both my grandparents were very crafty. Whenever I would visit there would be some sort of craft set up,” said Olivera.
She specializes in art that is comical and pushes the envelope at the same time. “I like art that is out of the ordinary,” she said. “My inspiration is Al Rio. He does amazing comic book art. That is kind of my style; I like silly things.”
Olivera admits to being a girly-girl with a naughty side. “I am trying to learn how to sew. I made a ‘boob bra.’ It’s made of t-shirts and clay – it has pierced clay nipples and it’s really fun,” Olivera said. “It’s a bra that looks like boobs. I have it on Etsy right now for sale for $30.”
Olivera is all about fun and color. Starting with her hair, like her personality, it will make you smile. “Now my hair is purple and blond. It hasn’t been a normal color since I was 14. I tried to have normal hair for a minute when I lived in Indiana, but it wasn’t fun. I didn’t smile as much. Little kids say hilarious things about my hair; it cracks me up every time.”
Olivera can often be found slinging brews at Brown’s Town Lounge. When not tending bar, she is crafting and creating things that are unique and sure to bring a smile to faces. “It’s kind of cool, because as a child since I was always being introduced to something new, I don’t have one art style.”
Her Etsy store and Salem vendors became a necessity when her mother said she had to sell the stockpile or give it away. “It was starting to look like an episode of ‘Hoarders,’” she said with a laugh. “My Facebook page is the main way I get out to people,” she said. But her earrings, jewelry and hair extensions can be found in local stores around town.
If she doesn’t have what you have in mind, ask her to make it. “An all-girls’ folk band in Portland asked me to make a couple penis necklaces. It was a funny thing to make. But they thought it was great. I get to make things that I wouldn’t think of. I have also gotten to make wedding hairpieces and one girl is having me make a bouquet for her wedding out of jewels so she can hang it on her wall afterwards,” Olivera said.
“Etsy has been wonderful. I am almost at one hundred sales. It has been a good tool, but you have to really be self-reliant and self-promote. An Etsy store won’t do anything by itself.”
Eventually Olivera is hoping to do her crafting business full-time. “I would like to get involved by becoming a foster parent at some point in time. I would like to start an art program for hard-to-place foster kids, an art therapy business that could be self-sustaining so I could use it to help kids who might need to have another outlet,” said Olivera. “I have noticed that with a lot of kids that are hard to reach, crayons and paper make things come out that will amaze you.”
Olivera comes from a large family. “I have seven little sisters and one little brother,” she said. “They all play instruments and sing, they draw and all have their individual talents which I am always impressed with,” she said. Having such a large family taught Olivera how to bargain shop and keep costs down. “I have been working since I was 14 years old as a waitress. I know the value of a dollar and about wanting something and not being able to afford it makes for a rough day for a teenager. So I have learned how to keep costs down for people,” Olivera said.
Check out Olivera’s art at her Etsy store or at these local venues
Tattoo Asylum
1223 Commercial St.
Oregon Tattoo
110 Commercial St NE, Salem
