By: Emily Bush & Beth Slagle

Imagine that it is September 10, 2001 and you have just landed in Pakistan.  You spend the first day making it to your hotel, getting settled and finding a place to eat.  The next morning, you wake, only to find that there was an extreme terrorist attack on the United States – your home.

This was the beginning of a trip that would change Kelly Sobczak’s life forever.  Instead of returning to the U.S., Kelly decided to remain in Pakistan and continue her travels because she did not want to lose the opportunity to see countries that she had never before visited.  No surprise, but Kelly felt apprehensive about being in the Middle East during this time.

That was how Kelly’s trip started, but the adventure in her life began much earlier.  After graduating from Allegheny College and receiving her master’s degree from New York University in French studies, she worked at the French Government Tourist Office in its marketing department.  At the age of 26, Kelly loved her job, which came with great perks including 4 weeks vacation per year.

Adventure was always in Kelly’s blood, so in 2001, when Iran re-opened its borders to U.S. travelers, she chose that as her next destination.  Kelly had always wanted to explore there, and this was the opportunity she had been waiting for, or so she thought.

Despite the accrued vacation time, when Kelly approached her boss about her upcoming vacation plans, his response was a simple and quick “No.”  Surprised and devastated, her response was an equally quick, rather spontaneous – “I quit.” She stunned herself with her decision and reaction, shedding tears over whether she made the right call. And Kelly was clearly viewed as an asset in her workplace as it wasn’t long before one of the directors overrode the decision of her immediate boss and told Kelly to take the trip that she had planned, additionally proposing a 30% increase in her salary. At this point, however, Kelly had already decided to travel the world for a year, and off she went.  The year quickly turned into a year and a half.

Kelly started her trip in Afghanistan, Syria, and India, then moved on to Pakistan and Iran. As she traveled, she immersed herself in the various cultures.  The clothing particularly inspired her, as she noticed the varied and unique patterns used from country to country. Each piece told its own story and was one of a kind, and the sellers had amazing stories as well.

As Kelly traveled through Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan and Pakistan, she noticed a new job opportunity – given her newly unemployed status – she could develop a business buying hand-crafted goods, and bring them back to the States for sale.  Global Girl Gifts was born.

Kelly brings her wares to the sidewalk on Penn Avenue between 20^th and 21^st street, in what is known in Pittsburgh as the Strip District. Yes, she is a street vendor, a peddler if you will.  One you have probably walked by before.  “I like the freedom,” Sobczak says.  She isn’t tied down to a store seven days a week and never has to pay rent.  To gather products for Global Girl Gifts, Kelly travels – a lot – primarily during the months of January, February and March, which is a perfect time to avoid the Pittsburgh cold weather.

Kelly’s goods are the kind you don’t find in retail stores.  “The most popular (items) are scarves and jewelry.”  She has hand loomed silk scarves from a woman in Cambodia – all of which are individually hand made.  And finding the artists and hand loomers is not easy.  Kelly has to ask a lot of people, “who makes this and where can I find them?”  She chuckles when she says that she isn’t shy and is not afraid to ask questions.  “These people don’t have websites,” Sobczak says, “so you can’t just look them up on Google”. (Although, you can find Kelly at www.globalgirlgifts.com).

Kelly’s not just a street peddler – she gets invited to sell at events and parties, mainly from September to December.  She also has her own open house to showcase new items, which takes about 6 weeks to plan. Over 650 women attended this year’s kick off event.

Ten years after that first trip to Iran, Kelly is still traveling the world to bring gifts from her adventures back to Pittsburgh.  Global Girl Gifts has generated quite a following due not only to the hand-crafted artistry she sells, but also to Kelly’s amazing personality.

Kelly has a great story.  She inspires many through her sense of adventure, as well as the confidence she had to leap from corporate to creating her own business.  Kelly also has great stuff.  Check her out at www.globalgirlgifts.com.

Emily Bush is a student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio studying History and Journalism. Emily wrote for Miami’s on-campus magazine called the Miami Quarterly. She has a passion for writing about things that she loves – Pittsburgh, food, and fun! She also loves sports and playing games. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh.

Beth Slagle, Esquire – Attorney – Meyer, Unkovic & Scott and BizChicks Founder/CEO bas@muslaw.com or beth.slagle@bizchicks.org or 412.456.2890