When the pandemic triggered a massive layoff at the agency where “Wrap Star” Cassie Kruemcke worked in 2020, she didn’t know what she would do next. A friend encouraged her to turn her gift-wrapping passion into a business. Despite tossing every objection she could think of at her friend’s business idea (and earning the title “Queen of the Roadblock”) Kruemcke ultimately threw caution to the wind and dove in, designing her own line of luxe wrapping paper, gift tags and signature bows.

She never imagined her creative chaos would catch the eye of a buyer from Neiman Marcus earlier this year. Nor did she expect the initial request for 3-4 designs to turn into a request to feature 12 designs on the site.

“I was very flattered, and I was like, wow, she wants to put 12 on there!” Kruemcke says. “Okay, let’s go!”

That shifted things into high gear for Kruemcke. Operating from a storage unit and her dining room table wasn’t going to cut it anymore. She worked tirelessly to transform a room in a Ridglea Hills home into a product fulfillment center that looks like Santa’s workshop designed by Martha Stewart. Stocked and meticulously organized, Kruemcke is ready to ship orders for all the Santa-moms this season.

Wild.

Bold.

Sassy.

These are the words that come to mind when you first meet Kruemcke, and when you see the whimsical patterns she creates for WirrWarr Wraps.

They are not, however, the words the designer uses to describe herself.

“I’m exceptionally shy and consider myself an introvert,” Kruemcke says. “It’s such irony that I dress the way I do and use the color palettes and everything that I do.”

“Cautious and apprehensive” also make her list of self-descriptors. That natural timidity might have prevented her from ever starting her own business if the COVID-19 pandemic and some strong nudges from a friend had not pushed her out of her comfort zone.

Kruemcke worked as an art director for more than 20 years, and while she loved the creative immersion in fonts and Pantone color choices, she sometimes felt beat down by the “soul-sucking world of advertising.” She wasn’t planning to make any changes, though, certainly nothing drastic like starting a business of her own. Sometimes life forces your hand.

Kruemcke was known among her friends as an amazing gift giver, and it wasn’t just about the gift inside the box. It was the box itself, or rather how the box was exquisitely wrapped, that put every “Cassie gift” over the top. In Kruemcke’s mind, gift wrapping was a creative diversion and a sentimental ode to her late mother who had been the original “wow” gift-giver in the family.

Kruemcke remembers watching her mother lovingly prepare gifts for friends and family, wrapping them with gorgeous paper and topping them with perfect bows. Kruemcke also remembers how her mother’s friends were often overcome with emotion when the gifts were presented to them because they were so beautiful.

“When something is presented to you in that manner, I think you as a recipient immediately realize that that person spent time on you,” Kruemcke says. “And I think we all value and appreciate someone spending time and taking a little bit of effort.”.

If Kruemcke was going to produce and sell her own gift wrap, it had to be over the top in every way, from quality and design to customer service. She searched for the perfectly weighted paper that was heavy enough to feel luxurious and create sharp creases when folded without being so heavy that double-sided tape couldn’t hold it. She obsessed over which printing processes and presses could handle the vibrant colors of her designs. 

She sourced brightly colored ribbons in a variety of textures and widths from several different wholesalers to create the Ribbon Kits for her flamboyant bows. Then she named her company WirrWarr (pronounced “weer wahr”) Wraps because “wirrwarr” is German for “chaos.”

“I’m a very orderly person, but I feel like my design process is a bit chaotic, and my designs themselves are a mix and cacophony of patterns and colors,” she says. “In my mind, that kind of translates into ‘creative chaos.’”

While it’s hard to see past January right now, Kruemcke is keeping an eye on her dream of building a brand as a pattern designer and seeing her patterns on a full line of home goods. For now, Kruemcke says, “it’s me and only me.” 

And she’s got orders to fill.