Penny Linn Podcast

In this episode of The Penny Linn Podcast, Krista kicks things off with a solo intro, sharing a candid life and business update. She reflects on what’s currently happening behind the scenes at Penny Linn — from the realities of managing growth to navigating the constant balancing act of motherhood and entrepreneurship. Krista also touches on the season she’s in right now: refining operations, making big-picture decisions, and staying grounded while the needlepoint world continues to evolve.
Then, she’s joined by Emily, founder of Emily O & Bows, for a conversation all about creativity, brand building, and carving out your own space in a competitive market.
Together, they dive into:
How Emily started Emily O & Bows and turned an idea into a recognizable brand
The early scrappy days of launching a business
Navigating wholesale, retail, and direct-to-consumer growth
The realities of scaling production while keeping quality high
Lessons learned from trial and error (and doing it anyway)
Emily shares what it’s really like to grow a product-based business as a female founder — from figuring out pricing and margins to trusting your creative instincts and pushing through self-doubt.
This episode is a great listen for anyone building something from the ground up — especially if you’re in that messy middle of growth where everything feels exciting, overwhelming, and full of possibility all at once.

In this episode of The Penny Linn Podcast, Krista sits down with Caroline, founder of Atlantic Blue, for an honest and energizing conversation about building a business while working in corporate America — and what it really takes to make the leap.
Caroline shares her journey from CPA at Deloitte to full-time needlepoint entrepreneur, including how she balanced Big Four accounting with launching and scaling Atlantic Blue, why she never originally planned to leave her corporate career, and the moment she realized it was time to bet on herself.
The two dive into:
Growing a brand during the needlepoint boom
Building a designer collective and distribution model
Managing a painting service
Inventory stress, market strategy, and navigating supply chain chaos
Hiring your first employees (and what that actually feels like)
Why “the math has to math” — but sometimes your gut has to win
Caroline opens up about the realities of entrepreneurship: golden handcuffs, burnout, scaling responsibly, and the fear (and freedom) that comes with going all in.
If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to transition from corporate stability to creative ownership — or how two needlepoint founders navigate growth in real time — this episode is packed with insight, transparency, and plenty of behind-the-scenes business talk.
Stay tuned until the end for a special code to shop Atlantic Blue.

In this whirlwind episode of the Penny Linn Podcast, Krista pulls back the curtain on one of the biggest transitions in Penny Linn history: turning on their brand-new warehouse fulfillment system — and surviving the chaos that came with it.

After years of shipping orders out of the back of the Rowayton flagship store, Penny Linn officially flipped the switch to warehouse fulfillment. What was supposed to be a seamless backend update quickly turned into a two-hour Shopify scramble, manual SKU-by-SKU inventory updates (all 5,000 of them), and a crash course in what it really means to be the final decision-maker. Krista shares the surreal moment of realizing, “Wait… I’m the one who makes the call,” and the pressure (and power) that comes with it.

The stress paid off. The warehouse launch weekend became the biggest sales weekend in Penny Linn history — bigger than Advent, bigger than Black Friday — fueled by the ongoing needlepoint boom and months of inventory planning that positioned Penny Linn as one of the few brands fully stocked when demand skyrocketed. From stretcher bars to tacks to in-demand designer canvases, timing turned out to be everything.

Krista also opens up about:

- The emotional push-and-pull of entrepreneurship (celebrating wins vs. immediately fixing the next problem)
- The tension between handmade, small-business values and Amazon-speed expectations
- Rebuilding the back office now that packing tables are gone
- Restoring international shipping
- A serendipitous potential collaboration with ASHA
- A heartfelt Zoom call with the Stitching in Color community
- Preparing for the major Tootsie licensing launch
- Handing over inventory buying (gulp) and learning to invest in growth

Plus, a peek at what’s on Krista’s desk: finished Playbill canvases, a mysterious “Potato Gate” Valentine, a Chanel-inspired custom-stitched bag, upcoming New York-themed souvenirs and needle minders, Eric Carle samples, and a massive restock in motion.

The episode wraps with the first installment of a new behind-the-scenes employee series, featuring Amanda Caldwell (Cosgrove) — Penny Linn’s very first employee. Amanda shares her journey from working at The Eye of the Needle in college to building AC Designs with her now-husband John, and how both of them left traditional corporate paths to help build what they proudly call a “needlepoint lifestyle brand.”

It’s an honest, funny, deeply transparent look at scaling a creative business in real time — imposter syndrome fading, risks increasing, and heirlooms being built one stitch at a time.

Big wins. Big inventory. Big feelings. And, apparently… potatoes.

Krista opens up about how overwhelmed she’s been lately and what it’s taken to get the Penny Linn Podcast and business back on a more regular rhythm. Fresh off a visit from her mom (Penny Linn’s unofficial team MVP and resident mahjong/needlepoint queen), she shares a peek into the Penny Linn universe: candy collabs inspired by her mom, new Tootsie finishing arriving in the shop, upcoming Eric Carle pieces (including a “very full” caterpillar), and the chaos of licensing deals, product development, and a new warehouse coming online right before Chinese New Year shutdowns.
She also gets honest about burnout, the emotional weight of what’s happening in the world, and how she uses needlepoint as both escape and anchor—especially in the 5–8 p.m. “survival mode” window with two little kids. Krista talks about taking life one step at a time, doing what you can (calling reps, donating, voting), and then coming back to stitching as a place that never judges you for stepping away.
In the second half of the episode, Krista sits down with one of Penny Linn Collective’s newest designers, Kaitlin Lane of Kaitlin Lane Designs. They dive into how Kaitlin fell into needlepoint in 2023 after the viral Calder Clark Christmas tree, why she started designing her own canvases when she couldn’t find what she wanted, and how her background in fish and wildlife management (!) and love of “old stuff” like The Beatles, Lord of the Rings, and classic cars all show up in her work.
Kaitlin shares the story behind her hit Wicked Queen playing card canvas (and the full five‑card series), her Lord of the Rings fellowship design, vintage car lineup, Anthropologie-inspired icon glass coasters, sweet nursery-friendly geese, SEC + MLB city rectangles, and her new Beatles coaster set—plus her very relatable confession that she’s stitched almost exclusively in DMC floss so far. They talk Stitchly vs. painting, designing by “stitching it into existence,” and what’s coming next from her Penny Linn collection.
If you love process talk, honest small business updates, and pop‑culture‑meets‑nostalgia needlepoint, this one’s for you.

This week’s episode is a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what happens when a high-growth business hits friction—from delayed launches and supply chain strain to team transitions and leadership pressure.
Krista opens up about a particularly tough week that forced her to confront the weight of self-imposed expectations. With multiple licensed launches (including Tootsie, Eloise, and Eric Carle) pushed back due to approvals, factory capacity, and Chinese New Year shutdowns, she shares how quickly momentum can turn into burnout when timelines don’t go as planned—and why learning to move the dates (instead of blaming yourself) is sometimes the real win.
The episode dives deep into the operational reality of scaling Penny Linn: transitioning to a third-party warehouse, navigating massive order backlogs, managing overwhelmed painting services, and rethinking how launches are scheduled moving forward. Krista explains the shift away from rigid launch calendars toward a more flexible “produce first, launch when ready” mindset designed to protect both the team and the brand long-term.
She also addresses broader industry challenges—why inventory shortages are happening everywhere, how restocks are being handled during the warehouse transition, and what collective designers can expect in the coming months. Along the way, Krista reflects on her deeply solution-oriented leadership style and how she’s learning to balance fixing problems with acknowledging how hard things can feel in the moment.
Other major updates include:
A transition of wholesale canvas ordering to Stitchtent
Early exploration into printed canvases for specific use cases (and why she’s softened her stance)
Hiring updates, including a new Product Development Manager opening
The decision to stop publicly sharing detailed financial numbers—and why
Signing with a PR firm to support press, events, and the New York store launch
The episode closes with an honest reflection on emotional regulation, resilience, and what it means to stay steady through both highs and lows as a founder—plus a reminder that not every week is a win, and that’s okay.
This is a raw, unfiltered founder update that feels more like a personal debrief than a polished highlight reel—and one that will resonate deeply with anyone building something big behind the scenes.