My Story
Laura Greenlee-Karp
Laura Greenlee-Karp is the creator of Lady Fern Woodworks. A company founded on empowering ALL folx to learn how to create/make in a welcoming space. Professionally, Laura has her M. Ed and is a community builder and event organizer. When she isn’t in the office, she can be found in the shop trying to make the designs in her head come to life. She lives in North St Paul, MN with her wife, Cassie, two daughters, Artemis and August, and her three fur butts Alfred, Penny, and Gordon (all named after Batman characters).
Laura created Lady Fern Woodworks because she was tired of people telling her she couldn’t do the things she wanted to try. When she was younger, someone told her “girls can’t wrestle” so naturally, she went on to play collegiate rugby and be named to the All-American team. This same fire has led Laura to travel the world via canoe. She started with a 28-day expedition along the Bloodvien River at the age of 17, a 40-day trip to the Kazan River in the Sub-Artic Circle at 18, and 50 days in the San Juan Islands and mountains of Washington training to become an Outward Bound Instructor. She then spent 7 glorious years at Voyageur Outward Bound School leading 30-day trips along the Canadian Border and Urban expeditions in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Lady Fern Woodworks is a place where regardless of societal labels, you are welcome to learn, explore, try, fail, try again, and empower others to do the same. No question is too small, no project too big - we are in this together! Now, let’s just do the damn thing!