"I just read the newsletter, and was so moved by your story about reaching a new point with your business. What you
are offering the community is something very special, and your passion and caring shines through!"
Thank you,
Betsy Carpenter
"Jane has demonstrated her considerable skills as an artist, teacher, collaborator and civic leader in not
an exaggeration to say that the renewed energy in our ministry to children and teens has its genesis in
the mural projects both in the making of it and in the creative process of designing them.
Also, I would like to add that Jane’s commitment is not only to this church but to the Twin Cities
community as a whole, especially where they may be a bounty of talent and spirit but a lack of opportunity for the residents. She is a gift to our whole community."
Eliot Howard -- Pastor of Linden Hills United Church of Christ
"When it came time to organizing a personal experience for our Brownie Troop outing, I knew just the
place to go. Simply Jane. We wanted the girls to have a fun, creative, learning experience and Simply
Jane was the place to get it. We had a challenge in that we wanted to also earn a Try-It badge but
weren’t sure how to make this work. We met with Jane to discuss our needs. She listened intently to
us and had the perfect combination of professionalism and creativity. Jane quickly understood our
needs and came up with several imaginative ideas tailored to our requirements. We were earning the
‘Family’ try-it. Jane came all need love and nurture to grow. We loved her idea! Jane then
individualized garden canvases for each of the girls that represented their particular family with a
flower for each member of their family. From the moment the seven year old girls walked into Simply
Jane’s painted garden studio, there were smiles and looks of wonderment and excitement as Jane
welcomed them to the studio. Jane’s kind, creative and nurturing manner is present not just in the way
she greets and teaches but can be felt throughout the studio. Each girl went home that night with
creative confidence and their own personalized painted garden filled with flowers as a reminder that
families need to be cared for in order to grow."
Karen, Minneapolis
"We held my daughter's 8 year old birthday party at Jane's studio. It was fabulous. We had kids
ranging from 5 to 13 and they all enjoyed creating their own art with lovely designs by Jane. The kids
learned great painting techniques and walked away with something to be proud of. During the party
friends and parents could relax and catch up with each other. We've been back to the studio a few
times when we are in town and always have so much fun. Its my daughter's most requested thing to do
when we are in Minneapolis, besides seeing her cousins and Grandmas. She loves it so much we
even ordered a set of canvases for her to paint with friends on her 9th birthday, today!"
Lora, Arlington, VA
"I first came to Simply Jane when my oldest daughter Eden was about 20 months old. Finding
stimulating activities for toddlers during the long and harsh Minnesota winter was a challenge, and we
were ready for something different. The first time we came,
Eden picked out a small canvas with the outline of a butterfly drawn on it. She had never painted
before, and I basically held her hand the entire time: we put the brush in the paint, painted on the
canvas, put the dirty brush in a cup of water, and started with a new brush in a new color. She
probably lasted about six minutes before her attention span expired and she moved on to something
else. We kept coming to Simply Jane weekly, and by our third visit Eden knew exactly what to do,
without help or instruction. She walked in, asked for a smock, chose something to paint, sat herself
down, and created her own art. I watched her, at 21-months-old, pick out a brush, choose a color,
paint, put her soiled brush in the water cup, choose a new brush, and start again--quite a feat for such
a young kid. We made visits to Simply Jane a weekly tradition. It has since been over a year since we
first visited the store and our house is full of my daughter's artwork. She loves painting there, and I
love taking her. Jane and the other staff have become like family. They help me wrangle my 15-month-
old, they are great company and they could not be more encouraging. The store looks like the setting
of a fairy tale and we always leave happy. I truly think it is one of Minneapolis's greatest treasures,
and I am eternally grateful to Jane for making our winters, springs, summers and fall so much more
enjoyable."
Lotem, Edina MN
