When they opened the Warren Collective in Leland four years ago, local artists Kristin MacKenzie Hussey and Kelsey McQuown figured joining forces would boost their chances of finding audiences for their work. Now, hot on the heels of a record-breaking 2025, both are striking out on their own. McQuown will stay at the Warren space, rebranding it under the banner of her jewelry studio, Moraine. Hussey is setting up a shop for her business, Kristin MacKenzie Design, in the vacant space at the new Blue Bird restaurant building.

Hussey wasn’t sure what to expect for her business in 2025, given a volatile national economy. 

“2025 was definitely my best year yet,” Hussey says. “I went into it with a fear of, ‘Are people going to be shopping in the same way?’ But it seems like, even though what I create isn’t necessarily ‘essential,’ people still see art as something that is very important and meaningful in their lives.”

“It really was an unexpectedly incredible year,” McQuown concurs. “We’ve had strong tourism business, and everybody visiting Leland has been incredible for both of us and our work. But I also think [our success] goes to show what an amazing community we have, because Leland is so supportive of artists and creatives.”

Both Hussey and McQuown credit Leland’s reputation as an arts-centric community for inspiring them to put down roots there in the first place. Each has known of the area for years: Hussey grew up in northern Michigan; McQuown had grandparents here and visited frequently. But Hussey moved to North Carolina and spent a decade there, and McQuown bounced around the country before landing in Leelanau County.

For both, it was the Old Art Building (OAB) that made Leland the place to be.

“The OAB is such a vital part of the community, and that was one of the things that drew me and my husband Ryan to Leland,” Hussey says. “We had moved to Traverse City in 2015, and after a year or so of living there, we went to a couple of events at the OAB and were just amazed at how much support there was for local artists in such a small community. We ended up moving to Leland in 2019.”

McQuown and her partner bought land in Leelanau County in 2016 with plans “to put down roots somewhere for the first time ever.” She fell in love with Leland in particular.

“When you drive into town, you're struck by the OAB as this keystone building of the community,” she says. “Seeing that, and seeing all the gallery shops, I felt very comfortable moving into the area as an artist, because I could just see the outward love and support of artists.”

Their similar trajectories made Hussey and McQuown a natural fit, and in 2022, they opened the Warren Collective at 106 N. Main Street in Leland.

Now the collective is (amicably) coming apart.

“Both Kelsey and I wanted to have more room to share our collections with people, so I've been keeping my eye out for a space where I could expand a bit more,” Hussey says.

Her “dream space” hit the market last year at Leland’s newly-rebuilt Blue Bird. Owners Skip and Lynn Telgard designed the building to include two additional retail spaces. The first is occupied by Coldwell Banker Schmidt; Hussey jumped at the opportunity to lease the second.

“I've heard people refer to the Blue Bird as the heartbeat of Leland, just because it's been there for forever, and I was really excited to be a part of the new chapter of that legacy,” Hussey tells The Ticker. “The new building does a great job of highlighting the nature around the building, with views of the river and like outdoor seating. And I feel like that's the goal of my artwork too, is to capture the beauty of the natural landscape of Leland. I thought it was a perfect fit.”

Hussey is planning how to make it her own, and is targeting a May opening date.

“It has me pushing myself to create much larger artwork,” she says. “When I first started, I was mostly painting itty-bitty things. My goal this past year was to be bigger and bolder, and create artwork that was going to be more impactful and really take up space. I'm excited that, in the new space, there's just so much more room to have those larger pieces of art.”

As she converts the Warren space into Moraine, McQuown has similar plans to grow.

“I’m definitely expanding my offerings, as far as product lines go, but I’ll also be able to utilize that space in more of a full studio manner for custom consultations,” she says. “I'm very excited to have a little more room to play.”

Pictured: Kristin Hussey and some of her work.