Her Hippie Heart

In January of 2020, I was working for a tug + barge company in Seattle, Wa. Every two years there was a Risk Conference for our group, it was one of those conferences you sit and wait on pins and needles to see what next cool town they will use to host the meeting. We had been to Orlando and Scottsdale and now it was time for San Antonio,Texas. (Yay!) These were the kind of work conferences that were F-U-N, the hotels were always bomb, the hosts were entertaining (there was even another girl named Beth Smith!), and there were lots of parties with amazing spreads of food and drinks.

I was part of a group that oversaw the Health, Safety, Quality and Environmental aspects of our company. I was very involved with the safety of our people, specifically understanding incidents and near misses to help create a safer workplace for the mariners. I loved looking at data, comparing numbers and updating policies and procedures that helped create a better workplace. This conference checked all my nerd buttons for how to help streamline the data gathering with the least amount of interruption to the Mariners and their main task of safely navigating the vessel. 

Growing up in the coast in Maine, I had always been drawn to the sea. I attended Maine Maritime Academy (twice lol) and worked on tug boats for a few years before moving my career shoreside. Working on the water was no walk in the park, I’d seen it take classmates and although I was not on the water, I was near it everyday and truly wanted to help make a safer working environment for my peers. 

While in San Antonio for the conference, we explored the historic downtown area during breaks and after workshops were over. I remember one evening we were headed to the Alamo, walking down a cute pathway covered in greenery and saw a cute boutique that was closed. I peeked in the windows and could not stop looking at everything, I made a mental note to make time so I could stop in before we left town. 

That next day I found some time and mapped out my route to the shop. It was called Her Hippie Heart. It was bright and cheerful. Filled with colorful clothing and accessories that made you want to pick them up and add them to your personal collection. It was one of those stores that you don’t see mainstream, it was a gem, and I just felt drawn to the energy - I didn’t want to leave. I was in a hurry to get back to the conference but did a loop around to see everything, tried a few items on and headed back to the next workshop. 

During that whole workshop my brain was consumed with how the shop was set up, how cute her checkout was, the inspiring quotes on the walls, how happy she was, the whole vibe. It was one of the first time’s I really looked at how things were set up and displayed in an attractive way. I think subconsciously my heart was telling me this is the direction that I needed to move. 

That next month, I packed up June for her first market.

Image from Instagram.