Kris Ruff lives and works in Minneapolis, MN and left her graphic design job in 2000 to pursue a dream of creating her own products. She started with a line of skydiving t-shirts (she’s been a skydiver for 30+ years) and then grew her business into a full lifestyle brand. Today her products span categories from home goods, fabric, and stationery, to gifts, pet products, and luggage. (See KrisRuff.com.)
Dogwood Street started when Kris’s daughter asked her to draw a cat. With her daughter by her side, Kris made a quick drawing. They both laughed at how simple and quirky it was. The drawing sat in a sketchbook for months. When a client asked about artwork for a pet bowl, the little cat finally got to see the light of day. The client liked the little cat and requested more of them. So more cats appeared and dogs too, until soon there was a whole neighborhood of funny little drawings. That’s how Dogwood Street came to be.
Today Dogwood Street™ is finding a home on an expanding array of products, including stationery, kitchen towels, shower curtains, christmas ornaments, rugs and more.
If you’d like to keep up with the latest artwork, follow Dogwood Street on Instagram.