KT Teaney: A Free Spirit with an Old Soul

Community means a lot to people. Through a vibrant sense of community and celebration of said community, small college towns like Plattsburgh are able to thrive. It is safe to say KT Teaney is one of those members of the Plattsburgh community that helps it thrive. Whether you’re taking a stroll through her creative and comfortable shop Old Soul or having a beer poured by her ever-familiar face, Teaney shines bright here in Plattsburgh and wherever she may roam.

Katie, who prefers “KT” for short, has had an interesting journey, weaving in and out of life in Plattsburgh. Teaney grew up in Ghent, NY, just south of Albany. She first came to the Plattsburgh area in 2010 where she attended SUNY Plattsburgh and changed her major five times because she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. After talking with her adviser, completing some classes during the summer and winter terms, she graduated in 2014 with a degree in Individualized Studies.

“Before I knew it I would have been in college for like 10 years to get a four-year-degree. I got really good grades, I just didn’t know how to commit to one thing because I like doing a little bit of everything,” Teaney said.

In addition to taking some classes during the summer and winter breaks, she also worked as a nanny throughout her time at SUNY Plattsburgh, but more specifically, nannied for a child with special needs in New Jersey.

Following her graduation from SUNY Plattsburgh, Teaney sought out jobs beyond the realm of upstate NY. She was hired for a nannying gig by a couple in Santa Fe, New Mexico that were expecting a newborn baby. Teaney then set off for the Southwest and lived there while working that job for just under two years.

“I was kind of just going with the flow, I wanted to get out and experience new and beyond my own, so I moved on my own and didn’t know anybody where I was going. I think it was a really crucial experience to help make me who I am today,” Teaney said.

After her brief tenure as a nanny in New Mexico, Teaney came back to the North Country a couple of years later and took over as the manager of the Monopole bar in downtown Plattsburgh, and also bartends a couple nights during the week.

Not only does Teaney keep herself busy by managing the Monopole, she also serves up cold, small-batch craft beer every Sunday at Oval Brewing in Plattsburgh.

Jessy Jolicoeur, the owner of Oval Brewing, was chatting and hanging out with the guys from Mountain Spirit Distilling, which is how he first met Teaney while she was working on an article for North Volume Media. Once Jolicoeur and Teaney met, and got to talking, Jolicoeur thought she would be a great fit for the brewery. Teaney was brought on at Oval Brewing in September 2019.

“Katie was the perfect fit. She has a really calm and friendly personality. She likes to enjoy my clientele who comes in and becomes friends with them. She kind of adds a little flair to the building. She’s really good at what she does and she’s an improvement for the business in general for sure,” Jolicoeur said.

Fast forwarding to the end of 2019, Teaney had a vision for a business that she could make all her own. After getting coffee one day, she noticed one of her favorite yoga studios had shut down. Following some sad feelings about the studio being closed, she started to think about the space itself, the potential it has, and what she could do with it. Teaney officially opened her new business venture, Old Soul, on October 2, 2020, located in downtown Plattsburgh at 8 City Hall Place.

Teaney’s good friend, professional inspiration and mentor, Lindsay Boulerice, helped Teaney bridge the gap from just an idea to something a little more tangible.

“Katie was trying to figure out exactly what she wanted to do with her life. I’ve been doing what I do for 6 years now, and I recently opened up my own brokerage and went out and started my own real estate company, and she was in the process of wanting to open up the shop roughly around the same time,” says Boulerice.

Boulerice also attested to Teaney’s goal of making others shine through the use of her space at Old Soul.

“With the opening of Old Soul, she wanted to be able to get the community involved and bring in different artisans and be able to have a collective space for people to appreciate those artisans,” Boulerice said.

With a little inspiration from friends and a lot of determination, Teaney decided to take the plunge.

“During the summer I was in a good financial space and a good mental space so I kind of just did it,” Teaney says. “To make such an impulsive decision during a pandemic and during life in general, it was really easy for me because I’m not held down by a family or a spouse. I’m at a point in my life where I’m able to invest my time in a career that suits me.”

Although Teaney opened up shop in the midst of a global pandemic, she has still seen plenty of business come and go, and has seen connections made from complete strangers while they were in her shop.

Teaney’s friend, Katie Murphy, expressed that same notion when referring to Old Soul.

“My favorite thing about her space is that it has the feel of a living room. It’s very comfortable. She’s created this space so that people can sit and talk to each other and get to know each other. I experienced it myself. I ended up playing chess with someone that I didn’t know. It’s an interesting approach to a store, and is really community centered,” Murphy said.

Operating a business during a pandemic is no cake walk, but through Teaney’s free-spirited and easy-going mindset, she’s able to navigate life under a lot of stress.

“One of the things that drew me to Katie is that she has a bit of a free spirit, and she finds ways to kind of utilize that and make herself happy. She goes on long road trips by herself, and that’s kind of cool. I’m very mind driven and she’s very heart driven, so the balance between our friendship is very much based on that,” Boulerice said.

Teaney is no stranger to hard work. Juggling two jobs while opening a new business is a prime example of the amount of time and energy spent trying to fulfill her dreams, and ultimately putting her on a path to success. Through these jobs and Old Soul, she finds that she’s able to give back to the Plattsburgh community that has given her the opportunity to grow into the person that she is today.