Why We Came Back - And Why Now... This might actually surprise you :)

Why We Never Really Left

If you've been following KOUSa for a while, you know we went quiet for about two years. No new cushion collections, not much updates, very little sewing. Just... silence.

Here's the behind the scene.

Alberta Has My Heart

I've been an Albertan for 22 years. Twenty-two years of Edmonton winters, incredible summers, and the kind of community that makes you feel like you belong somewhere. Even with a cabin in Quebec and yes, we'll talk about that cabin. Alberta has always felt like home.

That never changed.

So when people ask "why did you leave?" the honest answer is — we didn't really leave. We just took a detour.

Work Came Calling

Before KOUSa, before the sewing machine and the pillow blankets and all of it, I had a career working on industrial sites across Alberta and Saskatchewan. It's a world that's completely different from handcrafted cushions — loud, physical, demanding — and one I'm proud to have been part of.

The doors never closed for me there. I always knew I could easily go back if I wanted to one day. That day came where I needed a break — a real break. From sewing, from payroll, from accounting, from keeping up with inventory and logistics, from tradeshows, from managing absolutely everything all at once. It was a lot. More than most people realize goes into running a small business from scratch.

And honestly? It has been delightful to go to work and not have to think about the business 24/7. To just show up, do the work, and come home.

But I carry those 7 years of KOUSa with me every single day. The memories, the customers, the products we created, the shows we attended, the community we built — I did it. We did it. And I would have always regretted not following that calling. It brought me more than words can ever express.

Greg — my partner, my rock, and the graphic designer and printing expert behind so much of what made KOUSa look the way it did — was also ready for a change. We had built something beautiful together with KOUSa, but we were both craving something different. Something with our hands. Something new.

So we made a decision: take a break, go back to the work we knew, and see what else life had for us.

Building Something With Our Own Hands

Here's the part I'm most excited to tell you about.

For the past two years, Greg and I have been working in the construction industry — and on every single day off we've had, we've been building our cabin in Quebec. Plank by plank, wall by wall, with our own hands.

I cannot wait to show you what it looks like now. Two years of work, two years of weekends and days off poured into something that is truly ours. The reveal is coming — and trust me, it's worth the wait.

We're Officially Home

About two months ago we made it official — we packed up and came back to Edmonton. Right now we're settling into an apartment near Bonnie Doon, one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city, and honestly it feels so good to be officially back.

There's something about driving down those streets again, seeing the Milk Creek Ravine where we spend SO much time walking Jazzy, our dog, feeling that unmistakable Alberta air — it reminded me exactly why this place has been home for 22 years.

The cabin in Quebec isn't going anywhere. It's ours and we love it. But Edmonton is where our people are. And Edmonton is where KOUSa belongs.

The Next Chapter — And a Big Announcement

Coming back to Edmonton didn't mean stepping away from industrial work entirely. I've just landed a 2 to 3 year contract at a refinery near Fort Saskatchewan — and I couldn't be more excited about it. I only work a few days a week which is nice and it give me some time to re-design what I wanted for KOUSa.

But here's the thing, I kept asking myself the same question: how do I keep serving the Edmonton community that has supported KOUSa all these years? What do they need? How can I help?

I needed something that fit around my schedule. Something meaningful. Something that used my hands and my expertise in a completely new way. Something Edmonton actually needed.

And then it hit me.

I've been sitting on something pretty exciting — a new direction for KOUSa that nobody sees coming. Something that fits perfectly into my life right now and genuinely solves a problem I've watched Edmonton homeowners struggle with for years.

I'm not quite ready to spill everything just yet. But I promise — it's worth the wait.

Stay tuned. 

Thank You For Waiting

To everyone who sent messages, who kept buying our cushions from other retailers, who tagged us in photos years after their purchase — thank you. You kept the flame alive even when we went quiet.

KOUSa has always been about more than cushions. It's about bringing something beautiful and lasting into your home. That hasn't changed.

We're home. And we're just getting started. 

Kate