These days, everyone you talk to has a recent story of monumental life changes.
You know the ones. The stories that include phrases like,
“When covid hit...”
or
“And then the world ended, so...”
and at Hattie Rex, we are no exception.
Here’s our story.
Hattie Rex has always been more than a dog tag shop. We’re more than a gift shop, too.
We are the collective offering of artistic and creative individuals, handing off tiny pieces of handmade love to be gifted by people who appreciate what we do.
And then covid hit.
A year ago we closed our doors. It felt like a really long snow day, except with much more anxiety. And then the reality started to set in. This is life now.
I was haunted by thoughts of “closing forever.” And for a while, I began to accept the reality of it.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen to the rest of Hattie Rex.
I knew I’d continue to sell dog tags and jewelry online if I closed the store.
But what about the other artists? Where would they sell?
And what about our customers? Where would they grab all their handmade gifts?
Farmer’s markets, festivals, and fairs were all on the chopping block too.
I knew I had to do something.
I had to figure out a way to get our artists’ work into the hands of our customers, without the physical middleman of a (potentially doomed) physical location.
And I’m happy to report that it took us a year, but we did it.
Now, you can shop the work of even more artists on HattieRex.com.
We’re still here in downtown Bozeman, open 7 days a week, but online you can find even more than what we have in stock in the store.
Once you find the perfect gift on HattieRex.com, the artist will ship it to you directly, if it’s not something we carry in the store.
This gives you even more options to find something special, and we’re adding new artists each and every week.
We want to save you the time of wading through the internet, trying to find something perfect.
Our mission is to compile the best handmade products into one place, so you always have a go-to spot when you need a special gift.
Take a peek and let me know what you think.
Thank you for your continued support of not only this (growing) small business, but the dozens of independent makers (and growing) who trust us with their art.
To brighter futures,
Tessa
PS: Like what you see? Be sure to follow us on Instagram for a giveaway to celebrate the news! Mark your calendars for Friday!