Meet a Business is a new series featuring the person behind some of your favorite locally-owned businesses.

What is your name?
Kartez
What's your hometown?
Richmond, VA, originally from St. Louis, MO
What is your business name?
Kartez Cookies
How many years have you owned/managed your business?
2.5
What did you want to be as a child?
A military jet pilot
What is the most popular item you sell?
The chewy caramel oatmeal w/golden raisin /cranberries
What local business can you not live without?
Nate's Bagels
What's the first thing you do every morning to set the tone for your day?
I pray, workout/run
What tool, object, or ritual could you not live without in your workday?
My gigantic mixing bowls
How did you come up with the name for your business?
My grandmother named me Kartez, Kartez Cookies has a nice ring to it.
How did you get the idea for your business?
It was unintentional; I used to make cookies with my Grandmother. I missed her and started making cookies and people started asking for them.
What does the world need more of?
Empathy
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
The power to heal anyone who is dealing with an illness.
What's your favorite thing to do in Richmond when you're not in your business?
Walk Carytown, the fine arts musuem, walk/bike ride the trails
What's your hidden talent?
I can draw and paint
What was the first concert you ever attended?
Prince! and it was fantastic!
Who do you look up to and why?
Kathleen King, at least I really admire her story. After years of building her business she suffered a tremendous failure, the type of blow that would have made most people quit but she was resilient and came back strong with and plan and came out better than anyone could have imagined.
What do you love most about Richmond?
The people here are the best thing about Richmond, genuine and nice.
What's the best thing about being a local business owner?
The local love from my fellow neighbors, meeting and making friends with like minded business owners, also.