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559 East Pikes Peak Avenue, Suite 101
@ Catalyst Campus
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
719-667-3803
info@pikespeaksbdc.org
Hailey Sardi and Cara McQueney met each other a few years ago at CSU. Just acquaintances at the time, they later met up after graduation and discussed their desire to do something new. Neither of them entrepreneurs but both dreamed of opening a store.
The Local Honey retail boutique specializing in women’s fashion was born. A play off of the nutritious benefits that honey has for individuals, Sardi and McQueney wanted to be that dose of goodness for their customer’s too.
Sardi remarks – “We wanted a brick and mortar but it’s expensive and hard to find space. So we started as an online boutique – an e-commerce site if you will. We then were able to utilize the Downtown Partnership’s Holiday Pop Up program which allowed us to get into a brick and mortar temporarily (for two months) but then we ended up staying!”
Their clothes are capsule and wardrobe staple type pieces with small batches of inventory. They carry the perfect clothes for the inevitable need to layer here in Colorado with hats, candles, shoes, jewelry along with their clothes.
McQueney emphasizes – “The community needs fresh vision and perspective. It’s been neat to be bring that as we have a huge heart for women and anything that lights them on fire. That’s the heart of Local Honey. Fashion matters, but women feeling confident and empowered is even more important.”
When COVID hit, they turned to their ecommerce site once again to sell as small businesses shut down. They also got into the Tiktok game because they wanted to engage with their followers and customers. Silly dances, try-ons, work outs, virtual happy hours and anything to entertain the women who were stuck at home.
Their love of community is so prevalent in their narrative and there is so much more to come for these two start-up women entrepreneurs.
Website: thelocalhoneyco.com
Social: @thelocalhoney
Meet the Photographer
Karen Mitchell
Elan Photographie Studio
After spending time in New York working for some of the best photographers in the country learning from the experts, she settled in Black Forest to begin her family. She specializes in portraiture work for clients on a relational level as well as commercial advertising work for locally owned companies as well as more established brands.
“When I’m not taking photos, I’m likely welcoming people to our home to share food, stories and life. I thrive when I’m surrounded by the ones I love- while hosting friends new and old, and in the midst of exploring and adventuring all of that I can around me. I travel all over the map to photograph clients. I want to meet you wherever you are both for the celebration and for the documentation. Please dig through the site and if you love what you see, I’d love to hear from you. I cannot wait to get to know you and document your story.”
Website: http://elanphotographiestudio.com
Social: @elanphotographiestudio
Sign up to stay in touch!
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559 East Pikes Peak Avenue, Suite 101
@ Catalyst Campus
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
719-667-3803
info@pikespeaksbdc.org
The Colorado Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC) is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBDC Network is a partnership between the State of Colorado, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Small Business Administration (SBA), Colorado’s institutions of higher education, local economic development organizations and local chambers of commerce.