SALT LAKE CITY — Shop owners sweep the floor, fire up equipment and even get down on their knees to arrange products as the day begins on 900 South. Neighbors and friends greet each other, and customers are delighted as they sip their favorite locally produced beverage, sample organic, artisan makeup products or find the perfect pair of earrings made by the same person ringing them up at the counter.
It is not uncommon to see this hive of businesses so busy in this part of the Beehive State.
Tessa Arneson, district co-developer and owner of Maven Strong, likes to call the Maven District on 900 South in Salt Lake City an “ecosystem.”
Made possible by women who “support each other, lift each other up and do it all without knowing what they might get in return,” as Arneson wrote in an article she shared on Utah Business, this “bubble of life” is comprised of 23 women-owned boutiques, cafés and handmade shops — and counting.
This, of course, comes with its fair share of obstacles.
“They kind of pat you on the head,” Arneson said in an interview with the Deseret News, describing the way she thinks men view female business owners who pursue funding and support in a business world made up of stereotypical dark suits and firm handshakes.
“It’s not all pretty. Let’s be real.”
But at the same time, Arneson described the overwhelming support that women in business receive from each other in Salt Lake.
“I think that’s something that’s very intrinsic in Utah,” Arneson said. “We’re good at community, we’re good at helping other people out ... in a place with a predominant faith that has kind of bled into the values of the state. Even if you’re not part of it, you can feel it.”
So at the same time that “Like a Girl” campaigns and women’s marches are more common than ever, these female entrepreneurs hope to prove that there is abundant opportunity for other women who want to build, to create and to thrive — with equally firm handshakes.
Here are some of their stories.
Lisa Boone — Tinker’s Cat Café
Lisa Boone, owner of Tinker’s Cat Café, first learned the word “entrepreneur” when she was in school as a child, and she liked the sound of it.
“It’s always been attractive to me to create something,” Boone said.
Now, she’s the owner of Utah’s first cat cafè, which serves local goodies and brews punny warm drinks like the “catpuccino” and “camomeow tea.” More singularly, though, visitors can mingle in the Tinker’s Cat Lounge, which houses adoptable furry friends from the Salt Lake County Animal Services. Tinker’s also hosts paint classes, yoga classes and crocheting workshops — all themed around cats, of course.
After being inspired by an episode on the CBS reality show “The Amazing Race,” which featured a cat café in Japan, Boone got to work.
As a former yoga instructor, Boone understood the importance of therapeutic practices and has personally found that animals can provide that comfort and happiness for some.
“It’s an environment that has somewhat of a healing aspect to it,” Boone said. “Something that helps people in the community is really, really important to me.”
Exposing cats to potential homes while providing a space for animal lovers is how Boone feels she is able “to run a business for Salt Lake City’s community and for the city’s animal shelter to have a win-win outcome for humans and animals.”
This was made possible in part by the support she’s found from city officials and the community.
“One real positive is that Salt Lake City has a lot of resources,” Boone said. “They’re out there, just sitting there for women who want to start a business.”
Most of all, networking with other small businesses, interacting with regular customers and forming relationships with the other women on her block has made the community “everything” to the life of the café.
“There’s that old song ‘These are the People in Your Neighborhood,’ I swear I heard it on Sesame Street when I was a child,” Boone said, “but that’s what it is: getting to know your neighbors, and wanting to.”
Erica Hoggan — The Land of Salt
At The Land of Salt, almost everything that glitters is gold.
“I’ve always been crafty my entire life,” Erica Hoggan, owner of The Land of Salt said. This craftiness, in part, came from her mother and lifelong role model.
“She’s always been a really strong, independent person,” Hoggan said. “She’s extremely artistic ... and both of my parents have always been very supportive of my artistic endeavors.”
Every day, Hoggan and her production assistants fire up the torch and get to work. Setting up chemicals, cutting wire and soldering are all involved in this hands-on workshop. It all started years ago when she sold linocut prints, bath bombs and jewelry on Etsy as a creative outlet while she worked in real estate.
Hoggan’s heart had always been in entrepreneurship, so she took the leap after years of preparation. This involved learning a lot of things along the way, making mistakes and, of course, watching plenty of YouTube tutorials.
Now, she sells her rings wholesale and creates dainty earrings, necklaces and other accessories with high-quality “ethically sourced and produced” materials, which is most important to Hoggan as both a creator and a customer.
The shop also carries work from other local artists, which is one way she supports this “ecosystem” in a world of Amazon shopping.
“My end goal is to help support people,” Hoggan said. “I think that there’s still a place in this world for art and for craftsmanship.”
This is evident as she regularly dons handmade masterpieces on her fingers and earlobes.
As her business has grown, Hoggan has found inspiration and support through craft shows, Instagram and workshops. Like Boone, serving and involving the community is one of the best parts of owning a business for Hoggan.
“I think creating art and working with your hands is a form of therapy that’s good for the mind and soul,” Hoggan said. “I really love doing workshops because it just gets you into this different space, this different headspace.”
Hoggan described how working in the “absolutely male-dominated” commercial real estate industry provided helpful stepping stones by which she grew as a business owner.
“But a lot of times it’s still pretty obvious when you go into that as a younger woman that you don’t quite get taken as seriously,” Hoggan said.
Along the way, Hoggan has learned the value of asking for help when she needed it.
“That’s where having a really big, good system comes into play,” Hoggan said. “I’m constantly surrounded by these really amazing, strong, independent women, and I think that it’s been amazing that we can empower one another and help and support and build one another, because women are amazing and we’re capable of doing really amazing things.”
Helen Wade — The Stockist
Ten years ago, Helen Wade and her brother, Ian, opened a shop, Fresh. Now, it’s on the other side of the street and called The Stockist.
“It was just supposed to be a shop everybody could come into,” Wade said.
Helen is now the owner of The Stockist, where you can see her almost every day of the week (and you might catch her dog, too). To this day, according to The Stockist website, she strives to “stock quality goods and lifestyle essentials for an everyday purpose,” including those she and her brother already used and loved.
“There’s so many shops that you can go get that one fancy dress or that one pair of fancy shoes, but we want you to wear our clothes all day, everyday,” Wade said. “I know we can’t have everything under the sun, but we do want to be a store where you could find something for your brother, you dad, your sister, your aunt, your uncle.”
This includes curated lines for the outdoorsy college student and young professional population that dominates Salt Lake. Wade stocks lines that are created ethically, made with quality materials and are a good fit for the goals of the shop. Often, this includes local makers, like The Land of Salt.
These goals are met by having conversations with all the makers and designers she works with.
“If they can’t answer those questions, then we don’t really want to carry that,” Wade said.
Even more, the “brick and mortar” style of shopping in the Maven District is the personal touch Wade claims is lost through the online shopping vortex.
“I feel like with clothing, you have to touch and feel and try on and wear,” Wade said, “and you lose all that when you’re on a computer.”
Wade, much like many other women in business, described her fair share of dismissive behavior from some men she encounters.
“It’s a boy’s club out there,” Wade described of clothing showrooms. “When I walk up to a men’s line that I really wanna carry, I have to prove so much more to them in order to carry it. ... They look at me and go, ‘Oh, you’re just a cute young girl,’” Wade said.
Experience and expertise have kept Wade’s head held high, though.
“The men can trust me that I have the clothing they want,” Wade said. “We’ve done our due diligence over the years, our clothing has proven time and our clothing lasts. We’re just an honest, truthful business, and we’re upfront.”
Wade thrives within the community she’s acquired, which is made up of loyal customers, friends and other business owners (male and female alike) to which she can go for advice.
“We’re all going through the same thing. We’re all in it together,” Wade said, “We’re all having the same stresses. We’re all having the same fears. I just want people to remember we are a small business; we’re doing the best that we can.
“We are all human at the end of the day.”
Abbey Muse — Animalia
Imagine walking into a shop where every item had a story..
That’s what Abbey Muse set out to accomplish when she opened the shop.
“I didn’t want (the shop) to be full of stuff,” Muse said “Stuff that was produced in a factory with no life inside, no stories to tell, no one to be impacted positively except the few at the top calling the shots.”
To Muse and her loyal customers, these items are all about mindfulness. Being mindful about ingredients, being mindful about manufacturing impact or simply being mindful of the person that made that item is the spirit in which Muse curates local, artisan decor and accessories, vintage clothing and sustainable household and beauty products sold in low-waste packaging.
Although the items she sells might seem unrelated, they all have something in common.
“If there’s one thing I want people to take away from Animalia, it would be to have a more mindful approach to consumption,” Muse said, “that we look beyond what we’re buying, and try to understand how that purchase is affecting other people, animals and the planet and try to leave a more positive impact on this world.”
Muse fulfilled her dream of having a shop in June 2018 — her own attempt at making a positive impact.
After years of working in retail and with encouragement from her father, Muse developed a core set of values for herself as a consumer and influencer in sustainability. This includes supporting those who share the same values as her.
“The artists, the makers, the doers, the risk-takers, people who are trying to do good, people that are trying to create a better place for everyone — that’s who inspired me to open Animalia. And that’s who keeps it running,” Muse said.
These artists, makers and risk-takers all comprise the “wonderful and supportive” people in Salt Lake, which is “an easygoing place for an easygoing business,” according to Muse.
Still, Muse will receive some “unsolicited” feedback.
“It’s always men that like to critique how I’m running my business, like they know what’s best,” Muse said. “At first I started questioning if I was running my business wrong, but I got over that and realized I can run it however works for me.”
Fortunately, Muse said that “there’s a much bigger group of people than I expected that share the same values instilled in Animalia, and it’s so cool to connect with like-minded people.”
These small businesses are just a few that will be participating in Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30. For more information, visit eventbrite.com.