We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Paige Bednarke. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Paige below.

Alright, Paige thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My name is Paige and I am the owner of The Happy Hangout LLC. I’m 22 years old and started The Happy Hangout to help myself and others recognize they are not alone in the fight that mental health issues bring on. I was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety when I was 14 and my business has become a form of art therapy for me. My hope is that this company will create a community where others feel more comfortable with their feelings and know they are loved no matter what emotions or struggles they are navigating through.

My mission is to spread mental health awareness and help end the stigma that has been put on mental health. I have hand selected the pieces you will find in this store– there are pieces from Illinois all the way to England! Please join our community as we come together and continue to raise awareness and emphasize the importance of mental health.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my own business to help draw attention to mental health issues and illnesses. I’m personally diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and a few other mental health illnesses. It is important for me to address that I’ve won battles against suicidal thoughts in my past, so I do understand the general idea of how hard it can be to do simple life tasks and find a purpose. With that, no one person’s experience with mental health is the exact same, so please try to understand someone’s story, but do not belittle it for how it compares to someone else’s story. Because of my experience, I want to show people that it’s okay to reach out for help, it’s okay to go to therapy, and it’s amazing to just be who you are. I struggle with day to day anxiety and one of the reasons we have determined is because I have issues with my gut. The gut actually produces somewhere around 90% of your serotonin levels for your body! So with that, it is important for me to make sure I am getting a daily dose of serotonin in my everyday life so I can try to balance my levels as naturally as possible. This was the starting concept behind my business, and now I am trying to expand to all forms of mental health issues and the variety of battles people are facing because of it. My merchandise acts as a reminder to the person wearing the shirt, as well as anyone seeing the shirt that people with mental illness are regular people and it is important to look out for one another because you never know the true thoughts someone could be having.

I offer a wide range of products to spread this message that include but are not limited to the following: apparel, mugs, glass cups, stickers, phone cases, magnets, tote bags, car coasters, prints/posters, wristbands, keychains, jewelry, bath and body products, purses, plushies, and so much more. Nearly 85% of my store consists of handmade products which I take great pride in. I make a lot of the pieces myself and if I do not personally make the pieces, I am the one finding new artists to have their products available in the shop. This is how I am able to offer pieces such as the jewelry and art prints that are from local artists as well as artists across seas. I currently have handmade pieces from artists in 5 different countries.

Another crucial piece of my business is the inclusivity of it all. For the apparel, all sizes are the same price for each age group. So all adult sizes from XXS-5X are all of the same price. Beyond the sizing, i also have products ranging greatly in prices so even those on a slimmer budget are able to enjoy the shop and get some retail therapy in. Because of the handmade nature of things, some items are more costly, but I am always trying to price my pieces as fairly as possible because at the end of the day, it’s not about the money to me– its about helping people not feel alone and reminding them the world is a better place with them in it.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Being 100% truthful about my story and not hiding anything. It has not only helped my business grow as people are able to connect with the struggles and successes I share, but it has allowed me to become more confident in my experience and the battles I encounter with my diagnosis. It is not all sunshine and rainbows and being brutally honest about that has been revolutionary to me and the people I share my story with. Today’s society has put this negative connotation on mental illness and how it is bad all the time and if its not bad all the time, then you aren’t actually struggling. That is so far from the truth and makes those who have a mental illness, as myself, feel invisible. My whole brand, and what I want to be known for, is centered around the acceptance of mental illness and everything that comes with it. That includes the negatives, like the feeling of being a burden even though you are not, and the positives, like the small success of brushing your teeth or even getting out of bed because some days it just feels next to impossible.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I went to college for Architecture and Interior Design. That is important to note because the most commonly asked question about my business is if I went to school for business or marketing and the answer is neither. I taught myself everything about my business. How to make each product from scratch. How to purchase shipping labels in bulk. How to open an Etsy store and structure it around SEO. I joined as many Facebook groups as I found helpful and watched endless videos on YouTube. I would spend every night researching and trying new materials until I found something that stuck. My products continue to develop for the better as I learn new techniques and invest in new tools and equipment. I am 2.5 years into having my Etsy business, and 4 months into having my storefront and I am still doing research to improve my business. I use a whole bunch of different platforms to research because some of the most helpful tips and tricks I have learned are from watching other small business owner’s videos and seeing what works for them. I can then take the new knowledge I grasped from their content and apply it to my own products and content to continue to grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thehappyhangoutllc.myshopify.com/
• Instagram: thehappyhangoutllc
• Facebook: thehappyhangoutllc
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-happy-hangout-bartlett
• Other: Tiktok: thehappyhangoutllc Pinterest: thehappyhangoutllc

Image Credits
Paige Bednarke and BTC Yurik Photography