Kecia Bell

Meet the owner of KB Custom Baskets, Kecia Bell. “I own KB Custom Baskets located in Fruita, CO. We create custom gift baskets for any occasion and also diaper cakes which are really fun. I moved here about 5 years ago when my husband and I met and we had our kiddo and was a stay at home mom and decided to run with starting my own business.”

 

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Q: What inspired you or led you to your current career?

A: I was in lending prior to this and it seemed like every Thursday would come around and I was like I have 3 gifts to get this weekend I wish I could just pay somebody to go buy these items, put them in a gift basket for me and then bring them to me. I had my son and was a stay at home mom and I figured this would supplement our income a little bit and that’s what I always wanted, so I decided to try to run with it and it exceeded my expectations of how crazy busy I would get. I am very thankful.

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Q: What is your favorite restaurant in The Grand Valley, and what do you love there?

A: Suehiros– Rainbow Roll/Philadelphia Roll

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Q: How long have you lived or worked in The Grand Valley?

A: I moved here in 2011 and lived here for a couple of years and moved back to Denver. Then about 4-5 years ago I moved back here to Fruita.

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Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in The Grand Valley?

A: Raven Finegan- she is a local duck hunter and we recently have become pretty close friends. Her daughter does cheer and she coaches and she is a really avid hunter. She is very adamant about mom’s being able to continue doing what they love and she continues to do both cheer & hunting. I’m very blessed to know her and now call her a friend.

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Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?  And why?

A: Australia- I really like kangaroos and I love their accents there. If I could just go to Australia and adopt their accent I would be set! 

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Q: What is your favorite movie OR what is the first movie you remember seeing in a theatre?

A: In a theatre- Shrek. My favorite movie is 8 Seconds.

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Q: What advice would you give a crowd of people?

A: My favorite quote, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” I think that every day you should find a reason to smile and make somebody else smile. I think that a smile a day can eventually make the entire world a better place. If you are a negative person all you are going to do is pull people down and if you are a positive person – you can’t be stopped! 

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Q: What is something on your bucket list?

A: I’ll actually be accomplishing one of those soon, going to Canada on a goose hunt. I’ve always wanted to go out of the country to hunt. In addition to that, I would love to go to Australia.

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Q: What is your favorite music / 3 bands you would like to see (dead or alive)?

A: Willie Nelson. I’ve seen him the most in concert and he is kind of my dad and I’s special guy.

As far as listening to music, I mostly listen to podcasts and books more often than I listen to music.

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Q: What current / former local business makes you the most nostalgic about The Grand Valley?

A: Alidas in Palisade. They have the best jams, jellies, salsas and the cutest little couple owns it. When you walk in, they just make you feel like family. It always makes my heart happy to go there. 

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Q: Choosing any non-relative: with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? Where in The Grand Valley would you have lunch? 

A: Rachel Hollis! I think she is one of the most inspirational and intriguing women I’ve ever seen in my life. She is my storybook – she came from a small town and wanted to hit it big and did not take no for an answer and she is just an incredible speaker. I would take her to Kiln Coffee because I would need her to be energized so I could pick her brain and we could just sit there for hours and talk.

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Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about The Grand Valley?

A: One of my favorite things is all of the running trails. I used to fight MMA and when I would train here, I’d go outside with my trainer on different trails and run a mile and then stop and do some combinations and it just made you feel a little bit closer to God. Some of the trails here are pretty intense to run but they are amazing and they are beautiful. 

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Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?

A: In 5 or 10 years I would love to own multiple basket shops. Honestly, kind of in the same place that I’m at… I’m in a really happy place right now I’m in a happy marriage and I’ve got an amazing kid and an incredible family, so I’d just like to be a little more successful on the business side of things, but I honestly believe I’ll still be in the Grand Valley and just expanding my business.

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Q: What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?

A: Probably that I miss MMA more than I ever let on. I did it for about 6 years. One of the main reasons that I quit MMA was that my friend/training partner, Megan Miller, passed away due to not great circumstances and it pretty much killed my drive for it. Also, when I was in high school, I was a barrel racer and rodeo was my passion. I guess that may go back to that 5 or 10-year plan, I would like to own horses and land.

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Q: What 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?

A: Home is where the heart is, Cozy, Family

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Q: Who would you like to see nominated for this project, The Faces of The Grand Valley?

A: I just recently met the owner of Palisade Coffee Company, Matt Sayers, and he’s got a very similar story to mine. He and his wife had a kid and next thing you know daycare prices were just too much for them and they just found out that they are about to have twins and he has ventured off to start his own business and I am super excited for him.

I also think Cody Bell would be a great person for this project. He is a taxidermist in Fruita, CO.

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Q: If you were cast into a major motion picture and had your choice of anyone to be your co-star, who would you choose? 

A: Derek Morgan from Criminal Minds or Jennifer Aniston.

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Q: If you had a full-time staff member that was fully paid for, who would you choose & why?

Chef, Housekeeper, Driver, Coach, Physical Fitness Trainer or Nanny?

A: Housekeeper- I feel like that is the one area of my life that I can’t get ahead on. I have a tiny human that follows me around all day creating messes behind me. It seems like in the last hour of his day before going to bed, he has to touch every single thing so it is just never-ending.

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