How Form To Feeling Came To Life
In September of 2013, Cub’s dad, Kirk, informed Cub that he was very sick and that there would be many changes in the coming year. Kirk was very optimistic with his diagnosis of Stage IV Liver Cancer, but was also practical in his preparations for his family. The fate of his dad’s business, C. Kirk Root Designs was unknown, and Cub’s future was unknown. After Cub had the chance to discuss the future with his dad, Cub decided to take a year away from his traditional studies at Texas Tech University’s Rawls College of Business, and go to the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, California to obtain his Gemology diploma along with his Graduate Pearls and Accredited Jewelry Professional Diplomas. Cub thoroughly enjoyed his time at GIA, made some incredible connections in the industry, and fell in love with Gemstones and Jewelry even more.
Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, CA. Image Courtesy of GIA.
After a very rapid decline and hard fought battle, Kirk passed away in January of 2014. He did not get to see Cub off to his studies, see him complete his degrees that year, or see him marry Amy, but we know he would be so proud of all of Cub’s accomplishments. After Cub completed his education in Carlsbad, and married his wife, Amy, they moved back to Lubbock for Cub to finish his Business degrees in Marketing and Management from Texas Tech, where he graduated in August of 2016.
Cub and Amy are both Texas Tech Alumni, and she forced him to take this photo :)
While Cub was away at school in Carlsbad and in Lubbock, the retail front of C. Kirk Root Designs was open, but unfortunately, under poor leadership and management with many ethical concerns that, once discovered, were completely unacceptable to the Root family and left many upset customers and vendors. In 2016 when Kirk’s most trusted manager, the leader of sales, and his lead designer unexpectedly left to start their own business, Kirk’s widow, Lori, made the decision to close C. Kirk Root Designs. It was an emotionally and financially draining few years for Lori, not only from losing her husband of 35 years, but due to stolen intellectual property and other misconduct that had been happening since Kirk’s passing. However, all in all, it was an experience that made the Root family stronger, and motivated Cub to keep his father’s legacy and designs alive through the Kirk Root Collection. We could not be more thankful for the remaining C. Kirk Root Designs employees that stood by our side the last year the business was open, helping to clean up the mess left behind. We are so thankful for their relationships, and they are all still close friends of ours to this day. Ben George, Kirk’s Jeweler long before his passing, is now our main Jeweler at Form To Feeling. His craftsmanship and talent are unmatched. He is a true Gem 😏.
When Cub returned to Austin at the end of 2016, he had no idea what he was coming into. He helped his mom with final necessities of closing C. Kirk Root Designs and helped the remaining employees find alternate careers. Finding himself unemployed with time to decompress, Cub got the idea of “Form To Feeling”. He had continued doing custom designs here and there while deciding what would be next, and he truly enjoyed the relationships he built and connections he made networking within the industry. During this time, he was truly giving Form to his client’s feelings. In September of 2017, Cub opened his own business, Form To Feeling or Kirk Root Designs LLC.
Form To Feeling is a business built on honesty, integrity, transparency, inclusivity, and family at the core of its values. Cub decided to pursue an appointment only business model with hopes that his business would focus on building relationships and giving clients the utmost attention they deserve. Cub’s main goal is to take care of his clients first and foremost; He believes that treating clients well, catering to their needs, and putting them first, leads to a successful business. Cub is a relationship based person, and genuinely feels he has a relationship with each of his clients. He strives to exceed expectations and create lifelong relationships that will last for generations to come.
After two years of incredible growth, Cub is now able to focus his time and attention on his clients custom design projects and custom orders while his wife, Amy, does the behind the scenes marketing, website management, and networking (hi!). Opening his own business and building his dream in the way he designed it, has been the best decision he could have ever made for our family. We have a precious daughter Abigail, who adds a cuteness factor to our Instagram and Facebook on occasion. We are expecting a little boy in March of 2021, who will be named Charlie after Cub and Kirk, both named Charles. Cuteness factor of social media will double shortly thereafter, so make sure you follow, like and share our accounts and posts. We are a word-of-mouth business, so we truly could not do it without you!
If you are a client of ours, please leave us a review and help spread the word about Form To Feeling. We love each and every one of you and could not have this business without you.
