We were lucky to catch up with Montana Chambers recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Montana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

A lot of the people I’m friends with and have a lot of the same interest as me, loved the shop that used to be here in Cookeville. It was called New Century Books, and that place largely inspired me to create a similar place.

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

As a person who doesn’t always walk the same spiritual path as others here, I wanted to provide another place to get some of the things one would look for, crystals, incense, books, art, herbs, and more items dedicated to helping people with their spiritual journey.

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

It started with hand cream. I was working for a cleaning company, and I had a terrible reaction on my hands from the cleaners, or the gloves, or both. I wasn’t sure. So, I bought hand cream from the local pharmacy thinking it would help. It didn’t! It made it worse! So, I decided to make my own. With just beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter, and a few essential oils, I made a lovely hand cream that helped my very irritated skin. It was a domino effect from there of, “What else can I make?” Key milestone was getting the shop I have now. I saw this place for lease, and decided to take the opportunity to invest in my future, in my career.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think having a brick and mortar place has helped me the most with my reputation within my market. Having a physical location for people to come and see my work, and others’ work has been incredibly helpful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.montanathemaker.com
• Instagram: @montana_the_maker
• Facebook: Montana the Maker