Georgia Magazine - October 2021 - 16

AmazingAmazing
Young business owner
demonstrates that she
can do anything
By Amber Lanier Nagle
Grace Key's smile lights
up a room. She's a social butterfly,
fluttering from table to table at a small
restaurant in Cartersville, handing out
business cards to customers and telling
them about herself and her thriving
business as her parents, Dan and Carrie
Key, watch.
" Grace is a great self-promoter, and
she works the crowd wherever we go, " Carrie Key says. " She has
such pride in her work and wants to share her story-her message-with
the world. Sales and marketing are effortless for her. "
In 2018, the mother-daughter duo from Calhoun
co-founded Candidly Kind, a small apparel business featuring
Grace Key's whimsical designs, but the enterprise is not just
another T-shirt business. Their business model includes a
social-advocacy component.
" Candidly Kind is all about spreading love, kindness and
acceptance, " Grace Key, 23, says with a smile. " And it's about
treating everyone you meet with an open heart. "
Grace Key was born with Down syndrome, which her
family prefers to call " Up syndrome. " Down syndrome is a
chromosomal condition caused when cells divide abnormally
and produce an extra copy, or part of a copy, of chromosome
21. This anomaly changes how an individual's body and brain
develop, which can cause mental and physical differences.
" When we decided to start a business based on Grace's
artwork and positive catchphrases, we knew that whatever we
did, advocacy would be a big part of it, " her mother says.
As Candidly Kind has grown, so has Grace Key's platform,
which she leverages to advocate for the rights of adults with
16 Georgia Magazine October 2021
Down syndrome and other
disabilities. She's currently
working with the National
Down Syndrome Society to
end the legal practice of paying
people with disabilities
less than the minimum wage.
She's also an ambassador for
Best Buddies International in
Miami, Fla., and a fundraising champion for GiGi's Playhouse
Atlanta in Roswell; both organizations advocate for people with
disabilities.
Business is booming, her message is being heard and Grace
Key is just getting started.
A business with three hearts
The Keys always knew their daughter's life would be full
of challenges and obstacles, but an incident that occurred in
high school threw them for a loop. Grace Key tried out for and
was placed on the varsity football cheerleading squad. After
spending weeks practicing with the other cheerleaders, she was
not allowed to cheer on the sidelines alongside her teammates
during a game. After a video went viral showing Key separated
by a fence from her teammates, the Keys were asked to meet
Top left: Grace Key transformed her sunshine artwork into a " Here
comes the sun " T-shirt design. Top center: " Just love everybody " is
one of Key's signature sayings. Top right: Will Caver at the post offi ce
is one of Key's favorite people and helps her mail out orders in the
cheerful packaging she designs. She calls him " Will the Man. "
CANDIDLY KIND
ARTWORK BY GRACE KEY
CANDIDLY KIND
Georgia Magazine - October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - October 2021
