About Keepsake

There is power in small moments and little things. Not the forceful, dominating, dumb kind of power. Who even wants that? Real power is the kind that can make a bad day better and the world less lonely. Maybe you find it in a song that deserves to be put on repeat. Or in a tree that looks like it’s seen things. Or maybe in a forgotten knickknack on a shelf. Stuff worth appreciating. Keepsake is a collection of some of these things. Things to be inspired by and to take comfort in.

It’s kind of like a 90s fanzine meets Mawmaw’s house.

About Me

Hi, I’m Hillary. I live in West Virginia. I grew up here and moved to Louisville, Kentucky when I was 19. I told everyone I was moving there for college, but I really didn’t care much about school and was just looking for a way to leave WV. I majored in photography, fell in love with it (and Louisville), and ended up staying for 16 years.

While there I published Bejeezus, a print magazine that began as a black and white zine, photocopied in the middle of the night at Kinkos. Bejeezus later turned into a full color, nationally distributed magazine, focusing on arts and culture in places outside of big cities, particularly the South.

I also co-founded the short lived, but fondly remembered Butcher Block, an art gallery and DIY event space in Louisville’s Butchertown neighborhood. And later on, the Kin Ship Gallery, with (my now husband) Dan Davis. We soon realized we wanted to make stuff of our own, instead of just showing other people’s work, so we started Kin Ship Goods—an independent brand dedicated to making life a little cozier for everyone.

Like so many people from small towns, I started feeling a pull to move back to West Virginia--closer to my family and the mountains—and here we are. We live with our 3 cats and senior beagle, who is snoring beside me as I type this.