--- title: "Kidcreate Studio Franchisee Jerry LaMonica Champions Creativity in his Community" url: https://burnaze.com/article/d55bb206-2c7f-450a-83de-0685f8168e0d source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/kidcreate-studio-franchisee-jerry-lamonica-champions-creativity-in-his-community-2710664 category: "Education & Childcare" industry: "Education & Childcare" published: 2019-08-07T16:11:01.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:29:56.877Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/796d7199c12e3a4e713ebc92cbd770c17942.jpg --- # Kidcreate Studio Franchisee Jerry LaMonica Champions Creativity in his Community **TL;DR:** Jerry LaMonica, a franchisee of Kidcreate Studio, has opened a location in Rock Hill, South Carolina, offering art classes and activities for children. LaMonica plans to open three additional studios in the greater Charlotte market. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-08-07. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/kidcreate-studio-franchisee-jerry-lamonica-champions-creativity-in-his-community-2710664).* ## Story Jerry LaMonica has always had a penchant for creativity and leadership. After going to school to study music, LaMonica moved to the Charlotte, North Carolina area so that he and his husband, Eric, could be closer to Eric’s parents. For the next 18 years, LaMonica worked in a variety of retail management roles, first as a multi-unit district manager for Pier One Imports, then in a management position for Home Depot and later as a trainer for West Elm. Once LaMonica’s children came along—a daughter, now 7 years old, and a son, now 5 years old—he and his husband decided it was time for a change. Jerry and Eric began looking for an “un-poachable,” family-oriented and service-based business. After some in-depth research, the couple found that Kidcreate Studio checked every single one of their boxes. Kidcreate Studio is an arts and crafts franchise that specializes in children’s art classes, camps and art-themed birthday parties, combining high-quality art education with a comfortable, kid-friendly environment for children from the ages of 18 months to 12 years. Over the last 12 years, Kidcreate Studio has opened eight locations in five states, with five locations in development and more to come. Jerry and Eric have plans to open three additional studios in the greater Charlotte market, an area where the brand sees the potential for as many as eight total locations. Jerry and Eric opened their first Kidcreate Studio in Rock Hill, South Carolina, located close to the North Carolina border, in November 2018. “There is nothing else out there like Kidcreate,” said LaMonica. “Our studio aesthetic and energetic project curriculum has really separated us from any other franchise in the childcare segment. Not to mention the Art-On-The-Go program—we can go anywhere!” The wildly popular and unique Art-On-The-Go program sends teachers and counselors off-site to bring Kidcreate’s great art curriculum directly to families. “Anything we can do at the studio, from messy painting classes to air-dry clay workshops, we can do at an offsite location,” said LaMonica. “If a customer wants a birthday party but doesn’t want to come to the studio, we can bring all of our high-quality resources to their home.” According to LaMonica, Art-On-The-Go not only offers a convenient option for the customer, but it also allows the LaMonica family to meet new faces and get involved with the community. This summer, LaMonica scheduled classes at local YMCAs, park and rec centers, preschools and more. LaMonica is currently working closely with South Carolina’s Rock Hill District Schools and is in the process of finalizing a partnership wherein his Kidcreate Studio will offer after-school art enrichment across South Carolina’s York County. In the future, LaMonica hopes to open a second location in one of the Mecklenburg County towns of Huntersville, Davidson or Pineville, which are located close to the city of Charlotte. This expansion falls perfectly in line with Kidcreate’s overall plan to open upwards of eight new studios in the greater Charlotte area. “[Kidcreate Studio founder] Lara Olson and the rest of the corporate team have been incredibly supportive as we learn what works best for us here,” said LaMonica. “What works in Minnesota may not work in Rock Hill or in Charlotte, so we spent the first six months focusing on customer outreach, really listening and figuring out what we can do better. Now, as summer is in full swing, we are really hitting our stride.” ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - unit expansion (topic) - Education & Childcare (sector) - franchisee story (topic) - Home Depot (company) - children's education (topic) - YMCA (company) - Kidcreate Studio (company) - Rock Hill (location) - art classes (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/kidcreate-studio-franchisee-jerry-lamonica-champions-creativity-in-his-community-2710664). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/d55bb206-2c7f-450a-83de-0685f8168e0d).