We were lucky to catch up with Hannah Barnthouse recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, thanks for joining us 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?

I’m a lover of all things that make a statement; vintage jewelry being at the top of that list. Hair Candy by Han was born during the pandemic as my passion project turned small business. Creating became my source of joy in a tumultuous, uncertain and strange time. A situation that seemed otherwise lonely and hopeless quickly became an opportunity to foster community.

I had a STOCKPILE of vintage jewelry that had broken over the years that I simply couldn’t part with because the gems were far too intricately beautiful. I LOVE HAIR ACCESSORIES and decided to source the gems from my vintage jewelry hoard to create “hair candy,” jewelry for my hair! So one by one, I was creating hair clips by hand at my kitchen table. I remember the first time I wore my new hair candy creations sprinkled along one side of my head, I posted my “SPARKLE MOMENT” of the day and had an inbox full of messages requesting custom pieces!

I quickly found that creating affordable, unique designs that couldn’t be found elsewhere was my niche as the orders started to pour in. Within a week, I was building a website to help me manage the orders!

My second creative goal was to make matching earrings that were unique and didn’t exist on the market. I LOVE COLORS, texture, and anything that makes a statement. I had TONS of swarovski necklaces that either had broken clasps or hadn’t seen the light of day in far too long. I decided to make them into a rainbow formation and quickly found that they were INCREDIBLY lightweight and BEAUTIFUL and I’d never seen ANYTHING like them! I was in love and couldn’t wait to share them!

Hair Candy Rainbow Earrings doubled our orders.

I quickly found that my customers were looking for two things; beautiful jewelry that was AFFORDABLE and a place where we could all escape from a very strange and lonely season of uncertainty and create meaningful connections over our mutual love for sparkle!

Within a year, I quit my day job and went full- time with HCBH. 3 months later, I hired a staff of 4 and my husband quit his day job to come work alongside me to manage our financials, bookkeeping and the day to day! We went from my kitchen table to a 1300 square foot office space in under 2 years time and are already looking for a larger space with warehouse space next! We started the business selling hair clips and earrings and now offer over 200 products with plans to launch even more over the coming year! Pivoting and adapting and LISTENING to what my customers want and don’t want has been the largest point of growth for my business. We are evolving all the time and it is one of my favorite parts about what I do because it keeps me on my toes!

But the real magic is the people. Building and launching a small business during a pandemic was new territory for me. I had the privilege of cultivating a community of beautiful, loving, kind and COURAGEOUS women who love one another so well during a time that was very strange and the world was in an uproar. The community of women who support HCBH are the real magic behind everything we do. We have walked together through exciting seasons, scary ones and everything in between & I wouldn’t trade this community for the world.

My hope is that each woman, regardless of their financial situation, can enjoy my line as I curate collections in every price range. I desire for my brand to serve as an affordable luxury with a story. Everything I create is 100% my own design and is protected by US COPYRIGHT.

So my hope is that when you come here and you experience this community and my brand, that you feel welcomed, loved, are fulfilled, encouraged and that your soul will sparkle just a little brighter than before.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

At HCBH, we SPECIALIZE in bringing you affordable accessories that will make the LARGEST statement! Every piece is hand crafted and personally designed with you in mind. I hunt to find the rarest, most unique gems so every piece is extremely limited, entirely unique and INCREDIBLY lightweight. All of my designs are my own so you won’t find them anywhere else!

There was a gap in the market that I wanted to bridge. I LOVE GEMS but could NEVER find what I wanted. In a world of “fast fashion,” everything is made quickly and cheaply and everything looks the same. I had a very specific idea in mind for the accessories I was after but the only thing that came CLOSE to the detail I wanted was vintage jewelry. The only thing that came CLOSE to the quality I wanted was FAR too expensive. So I took matters into my own hands and began to CREATE exactly what I wanted. What I found was, there were MANY that felt this void too! We have been able to bridge a gap with our pieces in a way that is exciting, rare, ever changing and feels a lot like a treasure hunt!

I’m most proud of the community of women I’ve been able to have a hand in cultivating. The PEOPLE I get to serve are the true magic behind the brand and the heartbeat behind everything we do!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivoting is one of the things that I think excelled my business the most. When I began, I was making hair clips and even named the business after them! QUICKLY, we began making MORE and diversifying. I studied my customers, quizzed them on their needs, listened to what they wanted and quickly started to launch more of what they wanted! THIS is what excelled the business. As I catered what I offered to what they wanted, we saw IMMENSE growth. We started with two products and now sell roughly 200 variations and different designs from when we first began. Pivoting is ESSENTIAL to growth and we continue to pivot ALL the time to become better and grow.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

My customers ARE my brand. They are the magic and they are who inspire me the most. We have monthly “HCBH GIRL’S NIGHTS” where I go live on instagram and I unveil my new collections, spend GIRL TIME, answer questions, bring customers on to hang out and ultimately we escape the world to bond over our love for gems! My customers have built friendships with one another and are truly such a tight knit community of incredible women. It is HERE that I derive the most value in my business!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.haircandybyhan.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/haircandybyhan
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/HAIRCANDYBYHAN