By Kate Bartlett
Kara Fortuna is a local graphic designer and co-owner of Studio 4 East located at 103 W Main Street in Allegany, NY. Studio 4 East offers custom design, screen printing, promotional products and embroidery. Kara’s artwork is becoming well-known in the area, as she recently designed the 2023 Ellicottville Fall Festival Poster.
After graduating from SUNY Fredonia with a BFA in Graphic Design, Kara worked in Rochester for a small marketing firm. Two years in, she missed her hometown and decided to move back to the area, working remotely with this agency for another 17 years. In 2016, Kara decided to change things up and joined the Zippo Art Department.
Kara purchased Studio 4 East with co-owner, Mark Riordan, from the Wintermantel brothers in January 2021. Mikel, Dan and Peter started the business in 1979 in their grandparents basement at 4E Main Street. The Wintermantels are iconic in Allegany for their art and design work, and ran a strong business for over 40 years. Mark and Kara decided to combine forces and seized the opportunity to carry on the empire they created.
Marks experience with sales and marketing merged well with Karas experience in graphic design. “We’re a great team and we work well together. It’s our pleasure to serve customers year after year, and watch their businesses grow. We’re honored to carry on the Wintermantels business, and feel fortunate to serve the community in this way.”
Kara enjoys creating a wide variety of designs from logos, to posters and custom designs for apparel. Kara listens to what each customer is looking for and creates pieces that best suits their individual styles. She is inspired to find the best design for each and every customer, that speaks to their own distinct brand. “Some customers come in with specific ideas, others come in with a blank slate. Either way, we work together to find a style tailored to their needs.”
The Ellicottville Fall Festival Poster is a well-known tradition that Kara had the honor of designing this year. The Wintermantels designed the posters for many years, becoming iconic in the area as Fall Fest has become one of the area’s biggest events. “I wanted to highlight something different this year, a landmark I’ve always loved: the ski tree.” Kara used fun fall colors to make the ski tree pop as the main focal point and added a subtle mountainous background to capture the essence of Ellicottville. “I have always been so impressed with the creativity of the Wintermantel designs and look forward to Studio 4 East having the opportunity to carry on their tradition of creating these posters in the coming years.”
Business at Studio 4 East continues to be steady. “We’re blessed to be consistently busy with many returning customers from the Wintermantels, and several new ventures.” Studio 4 East is slowly expanding their new in-house embroidery and continues to grow their screen printing business. They’ve partnered with the EVL Chamber of Commerce for Fall Fest and have been the festivals official apparel vendor for the last 3 years. Studio 4 East also offers custom online stores and specialize in large orders for businesses, teams and group events. Studio 4 East has their storefront and retail at 103 W Main Street in Allegany and houses a variety of t-shirts and other apparel, including licensed St. Bonaventure gear.
For more information visit https://studio4east.com/ and follow them on social media. To contact Kara directly email sales@studio4east.com or visit Kara and Mark during regular business hours at the shop.