A Deep Dive Into 12 Chattanooga Small Businesses
As someone who admires working alongside the creatives of this generation, I have grown to appreciate every moment I am able to collaborate with others and make something beautiful. Stepping into my role as Externals Director for Strike Magazine Chattanooga, I was so excited to work with each of my amazing staff members, which soon led to working alongside the Chattanooga community. This soon became my favorite part of working externally: getting to execute events that promote the amazing people and businesses of this city. Events like the Strike Market!
The Strike Market is a biannual event planned by our incredible team whose goal is to support and promote local small businesses. This semester we welcomed 23 vendors who sold items ranging from vintage clothes, artwork, jewelry, coffee, and more.
Whether through buying second hand, shopping locally, or upcycling pre-loved items to limit fast fashion and its ethical implications, it is important to understand how to shop sustainably and why it matters.
Luckily for you, I had the privilege of talking with 12 small business owners, all of whom attended our Strike Market this October, to hear about their stories and the importance of shopping locally and to share it all with you.
Second String, Veggie Girl Vintage, Le Marche du Sol, and Sauce Thrift are just a few small businesses at the market selling reworked vintage, secondhand clothing.
Secondstring shares about their love for reworking fashionable, all-inclusive garments. Michelle and Ethan, the owners of Secondstring, source high quality secondhand pieces and redistribute them back into circulation with the goal of keeping them out of landfills.
“We were searching for ways to make a positive impact on both the planet and those around us. Through these efforts, we have met so many beautiful people and saved tons of amazing pieces!”
Veggie Girl Vintage and Le Marche du Sol are two independent businesses who both started from their love for clothes and grew it into something more. Not only could they use the extra cash to get through college, but they wanted to share their love for clothes by curating beautiful secondhand pieces for the communities around them.
Elise Deschamps, the owner of Le Marche Du Sol, speaks on the importance of being intentional with your work and not focusing on the sole monetary outcome. Through her experience being her own boss and knowing her intentions of her business, Elise has been able to stay inspired and motivated to continue to do what she loves.
“The people I meet, whether while I’m sourcing for inventory or the customers I sell to, are hands-down what I love most about my business. Getting excited over a beautiful vintage piece with a stranger or meeting a long-time customer for the first time in person is such a lovely experience.”
Gabby Wakefield, the owner of Veggie Girl Vintage, shares that she stays motivated in this business because of how ethical it is. Unlike buying new, reselling isn’t creating any new waste or coming from unpaid workers, she says.
“I love seeing people be able to express their own style and be more creative with second hand clothes than they could with new clothes,” says Gabby.
Sauce Thrift, a sustainable clothing brand created by Sara Goodson, shares how she makes “treasured finds, turned one of a kind.”
“I do all the sourcing, designing, sewing, and pop-ups by myself. I like to call myself a one woman show, if you will. I think what I truly love most about what I do is the pop-ups I attend.”
Emi Claassen is the owner of Little Off Crafts and creates art from embroidery, pottery, and painting, which led her to falling in love with the process of creating pieces that were “a little off” centered, hence the name.
“I stopped striving for perfection & started using my inability to do it one way, as a jumping off point for creating different art. By living in the cracks of that fractured reality of perfection, you will find more grace, art, love, and beauty,” said Claassen.
Art by Gussie found beauty through creating art on reclaimed wood, canvas paintings, and art prints. First selling their art at their neighborhood farmer’s market, Gus Gaston, the owner, continued to paint and create various pieces to sell at markets and even on social media, which is a very important outlet for business nowadays, says Gus.
Darcie Denton, the owner of That One Artist, has used social media, particularly Youtube, to share her experience as an artist and continues to use this outlet to share her passion for art. A passion that has cultivated the talent, she says. Because of this, she made it her career and started That One Artist, where she started to sell original artwork in the form of prints, cards, t-shirts, stickers, and more, all while growing her business through social media. Darcie also gave some advice for aspiring artists.
“Every little business card you give out, every market you sell at, and, for my artists, every art call you submit to (even if you get rejected) is a step forward. Recognize that. And you know what else? From time to time, look back at where you’ve come from. Appreciate the ground you’ve covered so far, know that you’re steadily gaining more, and be content to grow at your own pace.”
Stephany Poe, the owner of Fairy Findings, a whimsical nature themed jewelry business, created her pieces from ethically sourced bones, bugs, crystals, flowers, and anything else she can find outside.
“My mission is to constantly find ways to be environmentally conscious while making jewelry that makes people feel confident”.
Similar to other businesses, Stephany makes note of how motivating it is to work with other creators and customers who admire and appreciate her work.
Clothing and jewelry aren’t the only thing being recycled in Chattanooga. Ben the Beerbong Baron is a business all about upcycling glassware and bottles to make a functional water pipe for herbs. Ben Hagewood, the owner, started with a bottle cutter, progressively working his way up to a diamond blade wet saw to efficiently create the unique glassware.
“I stay motivated by doing markets, making connections within the upcycle & cannabis communities. I’d say what inspires me most is the smile on people’s faces when they realize what my product is.”
Angry Bubble, a small accessory business selling handmade necklaces, hair clips, and phone charms, also stays motivated through the positive feedback. Jo and Joey, the owners of Angry Bubble, share, “We love how it brightens someone’s day and makes them happy when they leave our store.”
Kurocatcrochets, a crochet business consisting mostly of plushies and accessories, is a one man show started by Anna Skilies, who has crocheted for over sixteen years. Anna started when she was eight years old, but just recently started to do custom orders and sell at markets and on Etsy! She shares advice for those wanting to start their own business.
“Find something you love and turn it into something that can serve you, but don’t work so hard on it that you start to resent it.”
Cafe de Pluto is a coffee pop-up specializing in different flavored iced lattes, matcha, and chai. It’s not everyday you are able to drink coffee and shop sustainably all in one place. It sure sounds like the perfect combination to me. Paula Macena, the owner of Cafe de Pluto, shares, “The main thing I love about it is when someone takes a sip of the drink in front of me and I see their eyes light up, and they later come back for a refill”.
These intentional business owners, each with a unique story deriving from their passion, stay motivated and inspired through opportunities to work with businesses and customers. Creating the space for these creators to come together to grow as business owners is something that I treasure through opportunities like Strike Market.
**ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM**
Strike Out,
Written by: Sophie Hamblen
Edited by: Sarah Singleton
Graphic by: Maddie Nunnery
Secondstring
@222secondstring on IG
@secondstringx on Depop
Le Marché Du Soleil
@le_marche_du_soleil on IG
Veggie Girl Vintage
@veggiegirlvintage on IG
@veegiegirlvintage on Depop
Sauce Thrift
@sauce.thrift on IG
Little Off Crafts
@littleoffcrafts on IG
That One Artist
@_thatoneartist_ on IG
Thatoneartist on Youtube
Cafe de Pluto
@cafedepluto on IG
Kurocatcrochets
@kurocatcrochets on IG
KuroCatCrochets on Etsy
Ben the Beerbong Baron
@beerbongglass on IG
Fairy Findings
@fairyfindings on IG
Art by Gussie
@artbygussie on IG
@artbygussie on Redbubble
ArtByGussie on Etsy
Angry Bubble
@theangrybubble on IG
