We were lucky to catch up with Chelcee Hendren recently and have shared our conversation below.
Chelcee, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
The name ‘Grit’ came from a unique experience I had in my early twenties. Back in 2018, my husband Timmy, who was my boyfriend at the time, asked me to hike part of the Pacific Crest Trail with him. We sold our home and belongings in exchange for backpacks and hiking gear. The Pacific Crest Trail is a trail that is from Mexico to Canada if you’re going northbound, which is how my husband started the trail. In total it’s about 2,650 miles long, trailing through a variety of biomes. Timmy started his journey hiking in late April. With no prior hiking experience of my own, at the end of May, I flew out to L.A. to meet him. Within a couple of days, I was dropped off in the Mojave desert to hike.
Having a month before me to acclimate and get his hiking legs, Timmy would hike so fast compared to when I first started. Muscle cramps, the heat of the desert, low water availability, all of it was crazy to endure for my first hiking experience. Not to mention that my very first day was the hottest day in that part of California. No joke, it was record breaking temperatures. Needless to say I held Timmy back a bit and we decided to skip a section to begin our journey together hiking the Sierras. I was so excited to be out of the heat! What I didn’t know was that skipping up a section meant I was going to have to hike Mount Whitney sooner, which has the highest elevation in 48 U.S. states…
Something was also happening during our journey from Lone Pine, California to summiting Mount Whitney. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was about to get my trail family and also get my trail name. Typically people form groups of fellow hikers and if they stay together on trail long enough, they can be your trail family. Trail names are earned on trail too. I wanted one so bad, I tried so hard to find something to be called, but realized someone has to give you that name, usually you can’t just make one for yourself. We had hiked along with a woman named Gets There (she’s slow, but she’ll get there). Stopping for breaks and casually passing her, or her passing us. We even camped in the same spot at one point. We would talk a little and started to get to know each other a little bit. She intrigued me.
Before summiting Mount Whitney, we had met up with Get’s There one last time, she was thinking of getting off trail or spending time in town for a few days. I was so sad because she had been the first consistent person on trail for me that I kept seeing. I was getting comfortable having her around. We went our separate ways to get back on trail to find a spot to camp before making our summit the following morning. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, being on trail for only a couple of weeks and now being so casually told that we will be summitting a mountain with over 14,500 feet in elevation!
The next day came and we made our way up. Having serious elevation sickness and the fear of heights, I was definitely on edge. It was hard on my body. Feeling light headed the whole time but having to maintain your balance while looking down off the side of a mountain in the Sierras can be a lot if I say so myself. It even got to the point to where I was faced with a decision to have Timmy go on without me. I got mad and honed in on that anger and made the last few switchbacks to summit Mount Whitney. All while fighting the urge to blackout from lack of oxygen.
After taking in the view and trying to wrap our heads around what we had just done, it was time to head back to camp. We were just about to leave when Get’s There came up around the corner. We were so excited to see that she decided to get back on trail. I remember the relief I felt seeing her, she even set up camp right next to us too. The trip down was so much better than the summit. We were in much better spirits on the way back to camp. That night we camped with Get’s There and a few others who came in to summit Whitney the next day. Get’s There looked at me and said she felt like she had a name for me. She was reading an audiobook about ‘grit’ before finding us again and she thought of me during it. She had heard about and even seen my hardships leading up to hiking such a beast of a mountain in only a few weeks of being out on the PCT. She said I had to have grit. It became my trail name that night and I was no longer just Chelcee anymore. Grit was like my stronger alter ego.
Even though several years have passed, I still hold my summer in the Sierras very close to my heart. My trail name means so much to me. Honestly, I wish it wasn’t weird to be called that off trail. I got a lot of use out of it though while hiking over 500 miles of the PCT and even when I made it back home to start my small business.
Chelcee, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Chelcee, my trail name is Grit. I have a passion for Kentucky native habitats and the various species that occupy them, both plants and wildlife. I’ve always dreamt of having my own business. In 2014 I created my first Etsy page in hopes of selling my crafts. Life happened and I never really got to do much with my page. In 2020, being cooped up during covid allowed me more time to begin business planning. I sold handmade faux leather earrings and a couple of other things for a small amount of time. A few years past and I finally found my true passion and decided to rebrand my business in 2022.
I love making/improving jewelry, painting, making creative arrangements, whether that’s floral items, gift wrapping, home décor items etc. I’ve also recently gotten into crafting with resin and decorating small items like beanies and makeup bags. I can never choose an aesthetic so I also post a variety of other things on here to sell that I feel like others may like too. Some of it can be very random. I sometimes like to do custom requests but I do work a variety of other jobs so sometimes my schedule can be crazy.. But it’s never too crazy to talk though, so always reach out to me with any questions or even to just say hey!
So about my rebranding.. I found a passion for education when I took a job at Salato Wildlife Education Center in 2022. It’s not been a permanent job for me so I’ve taken to social media and my shop to incorporate information about Kentucky native species and their habitats to get my fix as a Steve Irwin wannabe. Most of the things I sell, if it’s something to do with an animal or flowers I’ve used, I try to also give information or facts about that plant or animal. I think that’s what sets me apart from others in the industry. I want to bring something different to the table when selling my crafts and I’ve found that difference through being informative.
What I’m most proud of with my small business is the amount of support that I have behind me from my friends and family. I appreciate them and my customers so much too. I wouldn’t be as successful with this business if it wasn’t for them. They encourage me to be different and they give me the confidence to reach higher goals. Higher goals that I wouldn’t normally set for myself if it wasn’t for them. I want people to know that the appreciation that comes from me for their business and support is genuine.
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
I began an Etsy business in 2014 in high school, I’ve wanted to sell my crafts for a long time, clearly. My cons from that would be that after having that account for so long. Sometimes you can’t work your way around your original account settings, and you have to restart. I have recreated my Etsy page since then, starting with this year. It’s been tough trying to build that page presence back up.
Selling from Facebook and word-to-mouth connections has been a huge portion of my profits. Pros from that are when you have so many supportive friends and family like I do, it can take you very far in the success of your business.
I’m hoping to create my own website soon, it seems one con for all platforms I use, I have to pay out a lot of fees or not all of products are in one place for people to shop. I’m hoping to fix that issue soon!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Just recently I’ve taken on a new career path that is different from my past ventures. From being a Conservation Educator, to a Wildlife Technician, and now to a Program Analyst for the USDA, a lot of change has happened to my life. Although I miss my old field of work, this ‘pivot’ has been a good experience. Change can be scary but at the end of the day, you have to make the choices that are better for you. I still volunteer at my old job and educate through my small business. Now I can incorporate what I love doing in those parts of my life while also maintaining a steady income through my new job. It’s like getting the best of both worlds!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @luckyhillfarms
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GenuineGritShop?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Other: genuinegritshops.etsy.com