Kicasso Sneaker Art Bar co-owners Kadeana and Nicole described how their business idea was the right fit.

"We're cousins. We were talking with a family member after we had done the paint and sit-down experience and had researched the industry, also adding a twist to the concept: how cool it would be to do it on a shoe. We basically bought a shoe and started testing it by painting it ourselves. Our shoes came out awesome and we thought we might be onto something," Kadeana explained. She is an alumna of Broad Ripple High School.

Nicole said, "We have classes for all. You don't have to be an artist to create at Kicasso." Guests can register for our classes at www.kicassoindy.com.

Nicole said, "We paint shoes of any size. We have some WBA players with different shoe sizes. We've been asked to paint baby shoes for the month they are born. In our inventory, we stock children's, women's and men's sizes. We typically have people register for our classes at (https://www.kicassoindy.com/contact), so we can have certain sizes available for the class. For the most part, when they register on-line, if we do not have a shoe size in our inventory for them, we order it to make it available for the class. In June, the Indiana Fever women's basketball team was here for a team-building session." She is an alumna of Ritter High School.

The Broad Ripple location proved to be a step in the right direction for them. "Our aunt, Brenda Petty, is a long-time hairdresser who is well-known in the city and is also an educator. She is the owner of Changes Salon (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Changes-Total-Salon/408445725931302) that has been here (at 6416 Ferguson Street) for 20 years. The timing worked out when we came up with the concept of Kicasso Sneaker Art Bar, she was starting to scale down her salon. She still operates in the building. Broad Ripple was the ideal location due to the art culture, social outings and experiences that this community is known for. With her shop location, it was like a win-win for us," Nicole emphasized. Changes Salon's number is (317) 251-7070.

Visit www.kicassoindy.com for more info on Kicasso Sneaker Art Bar. If you have questions for private bookings, open to the public events, corporate parties, team building events or classes for kids, you can call (317) 500-7332 or e-mail: info@kicassoindy.com.

Kicasso opened its doors in June. "Our maximum class size is 40 guests. Our classes are self-guided, making each a shoe a one of one. The painting process can be very therapeutic. People break into their creativity when they are designing a pair. I think the most rewarding thing is seeing the people who come in and say, 'I can't draw' or 'I'm not artistically talented, leave here very proud and loving the artwork they've created on their shoes," Kadeana said.

Nicole mentioned, "We've got a lot of great feedback from customers who bring back their families. They are amazed at what they have created. We have a special class for kids called Kidcasso, where they can paint. Each class is two and half hours long from beginning to end."

She described the origin of their name: "We used the K from the word "kicks" and replaced the P from "Picasso" making Kicasso their shoes. We have a few customers that changed into the shoes they created after class."

As a family business, Kicasso Sneaker Art Bar have gotten off on the right foot at their location in Broad Ripple.