We were lucky to catch up with Gina Holmberg recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Gina, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

The idea to execution journey was years in the making. I knew exactly what I wanted the shop to be, what I wanted to carry, how I wanted it to feel. I also had a name which was Supernova, a word that has very special meaning to me. One would think having all of those specifics would really get the ball rolling, however finding an actual space was the challenge. It took almost 4 years of searching, meetings with property owners, talking with other shop owners, and almost signing a lease that I had a few reservations about before finding where I ultimately landed. During this entire process, I took every opportunity I had to pick others brains and glean from those who have walked these steps out. One of those brains belongs to the incredible Leslie Fraley of the gorgeous shop, Finefolk. I have long admired Leslie and what she has built, and I was fortunate enough to have her as a sounding board, which developed in to a friendship. Leslie knew I was hitting a wall in regards to finding a location, and she offered some space at Finefolk. It made so much sense, and I was pinching myself that I was given this opportunity. The next day I hit the ground running. Reaching out to vendors, designing a space, hiring a contractor, branding, and ultimately renaming the shop. A literal dream come true.

Gina, 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?

I have been a makeup artist for 27 years! I started out in the retail world in the 90s, when getting a job in cosmetics was tough! I had zero experience, but I practically begged for an opportunity. I think the manager finally agreed after seeing how much time and money I spent in the makeup department. I quickly “climbed the ladder” as they say. I worked for many brands over the next several years before becoming a freelance coordinator for Bobbi Brown. In that position, I hired, trained and booked all of her artists for major events. I also traveled around the country as a featured artist. During this time I was also doing weddings as well as production work, which I still do to this day. A couple of years later, I worked as an artist for NARS at Barney’s New York, and then moved to LA with that same position. I relocated to KC to be with my now husband in 2006 and have been fortunate enough to continue my career.
After having children, life as we knew it changed drastically. Both of my kiddos had health/developmental challenges and my stress level was through the roof. After doing obscene amounts of research, my husband and I strongly felt that the path we were supposed to go down in order to support our children was the “holistic” one. We began using a holistic pediatrician. We began making everything we ate from scratch. We sourced from farmers. We cut out gluten, dairy, grains, processed sugar, soy—basically anything that could contribute inflammation. We used a homeopath. Began a detoxification protocol. We got rid of every conventional product we had in the home—personal care products, cleaning products. You name it, we did it.
And we saw results. Not overnight, but we began to heal.
A new fire was lit within me-especially in regards to the toxic chemicals in beauty/personal care products. One of the services I offered with my clients was personal product shopping. I would help them pick out anything from skin care to makeup, and now I could no longer recommend the brands I used to. I began sharing with clients about my switch, and to my surprise, so many of them wanted to switch as well That was when the idea of opening a shop was birthed.
We launched in 2017 as Within Apothecary, and 2 years later rebranded to Welwythn and moved our location to Prairie Village.
Welwythn carries incredible clean brands of makeup, skincare, body care, fragrances, and hair care. We also have a lovely home category where you’ll find candles, books, incense, ceramics as well as our Bodega which might be my favorite. Here you will find olive oils, non alcoholic aperitifs, teas, honeys, fermented hot sauces and so much more. It’s a great place to find a gift for someone, even that someone that “has everything”.
We provide consultations as well as applications using the products that we carry, and we also offer private shopping events.
I have hands down, the most incredible team—it’s what I am the most proud of. We’re a little family, and each woman on the team loves this shop just as much as I do.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I really think the healing journey illustrates my resilience. Healing the natural way takes time. So much time, but I was committed. The healing journey the natural way is also not linear. We would see great success one month, followed by a healing crisis the next. It was extremely difficult. Bringing your own food everywhere is difficult. This journey is also very expensive, and you must research everything. What works for one person might not work for you. This phrase is so overused, but it truly is a lifestyle.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

That I can “do it all”. Part of my health spiral was a result of trying to do it all. I think as women we put so much pressure on ourselves to do everything and anything and to do it all perfectly. There was a season where I just didn’t say no. I took every job, said yes to every social engagement, stayed up late, woke up early, and so on. Currently, while my days are still full, I take breaks, I make sure to do the things that support my body, nurture my relationships,and I for sure know how to say no. I’m actually quite good at it.

Contact Info:

• Website: Welwythn.com
• Instagram: Welwythn

Image Credits
The photo of me was taken by Studio St. Ruth IG;studiostruth