We were lucky to catch up with Ademaris Price recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ademaris, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

A late night, glass of wine and desire to pursue an untapped personal desire of mine fueled me to challenge myself in a way I have never done before. I worked at a children’s hospital for years prior to this new venture, but felt it was time to wear a new “hat” (pun totally intended) and start something of my own. I created my boutique and hat bar initially as a fun addition to my small town and as a way to meet new women in the area. I lived here for one year, before I knew I had to bring something new to this growing town. I started as a small space, 49sq ft to be exact, and continued to work as a respiratory therapist at the hospital. One thing led to another and I felt like I wanted to take the leap of faith and move out of the space I found myself in to my own stand alone brick-and-mortar.

I started Lenna Lane in April 2021 and proudly opened my own doors in October 2022. It is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done and gave me an entirely new respect for small business owners. I have poured so much of myself physically, mentally, and financially to ensure that my store would reflect the love I have for what I’m doing. I wanted a place for women of all walks of life to feel like they could just have a “breath of fresh air.” I have met so many wonderful people through my business and to my shoppers I owe this beautiful space to.

With the support of my family, friends and community, I have been able to restore a historical building in downtown Temple, Texas and become a full-time business owner. It is one the scariest things I’ve ever done, but I am proud of what I will always refer to as my first baby. The space we currently find ourselves in barely had a ceiling! It was a diamond in the rough, but it was absolutely love at first sight! I saw the space and saw it for what it could be.

Lenna Lane is up and running, serving the ladies in my community one hat and cute outfit at a time.

Ademaris, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a city girl at heart who found herself in a growing small town. I always played it safe when it came to myself professionally and wanted to ensure that as a first-gen graduate, I made my family proud with my career. I spent 7 years in the medical industry, but had this undeniable desire to create something I could call my own. I’ve always considered myself a person who wants to wear many hats. I told my husband and he gave me the push I needed to pursue this desire — I’ll always be so grateful for that.

I created Lenna Lane at first as a creative outlet. I wanted to bring something to my small town and thought this could be fun. I had NO idea just how much work it would be, literally pouring every day off from the hospital or even working after a 12 hours shift on creating this brand. No regrets. Ever. I would do it all over again.

I had a 49 sq ft spot I rented from a local space that housed numerous other small businesses and this gave me the flexibility to sell products in person, while still working full-time at the hospital. On the weekends I was off, I would do pop-up shops at different locations in my area hoping to market myself and sell even more! This was exhausting and thrilling and I sit here almost 9 months pregnant, I cannot believe I ever had that much energy. There’s a season for everything.

So then my season changed. My husband called me to check out this space downtown that desperately needed work, but that he felt would be perfect for Lenna Lane. Just one look and I was sold. I wanted to dive in head first to this adventure. It’s all I could think about! A long, grueling process of renovation, planning, learning the business and all the not-so-fun technicalities the space was finally ready to share with my community in October 22, 2022.

Lenna Lane is a women’s boutique and hat bar. Our hat bar is unique in that it allows women to choose from our collection of hats (or bring their own) and customize the band, add florals, charms, or any add-ons that make their hat unique to them. We make hats throughout the day, but also provide the space for hat bar parties! We pour wine and invite women and their friends to enjoy a fun night out with us.

In addition to our hats, we provide modern styles at prices that won’t make you clutch your pearls :) My priority was to make this a space where women from all walks of life would feel welcome.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has been foot traffic, word of mouth and social media. It’s been refreshing to have obtain new clientele organically, but I understand the power of marketing in modern day retail. I have outsourced marketing and hope to launch a campaign prior to the start of the holiday season.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I started my journey as an entrepreneur with my iPhone and an Etsy shop. I made custom graphics of pictures clients would send in and turn them into cartoon-like images. That Christmas, I was a best-selling shop and had to dedicate Saturdays to spending 8 hours on the couch to keep up with my orders — it was overwhelming, but exhilarating. I realized that I could create a product that people actually wanted. I made enough money in December alone to upgrade from drawing on my iPhone with my index finger to the latest iPad Pro and using an actual Apple Pencil. I knew I wasn’t passionate about my Etsy shop and had the desire for more. Along with the Etsy shop, I got my yoga certification (all while working at the hospital full-time). If one good thing came from the year COVID hit, it was that it undeniably fueled me to pursue something I could call my own.

I dropped my Etsy shop and used my brand new iPad to start a boutique and never looked back. I started online and in this tiny space I rented in a building alongside other small businesses all while teaching yoga every Thursday and working my hours at the hospital. I found that I got lost in being busy and I wanted to start focusing on what I truly felt was going to lead me into the “next big thing” in my life. I found a building that would be a perfect spot for a boutique and dedicated myself to opening my store. I worked at the hospital all while fixing up the store and resigned at the hospital a week prior to my grand opening. I must be thrilled by a challenge, because a few months later I decided to embark on a whole new adventure: motherhood.

This October will mark one year in my brick-and-mortar and the birth of my son — again another overwhelming, yet another absolutely exhilarating feeling.

Contact Info:

• Website: LennaLane.com
• Instagram: @shoplennalane
• Facebook: Lenna Lane

Image Credits
Madison Storm Photography