We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stormi Leonard a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Stormi, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
We believe that Rustler Hat Co. has touched a market in Nashville that was not formerly being targeted. We are able to offer high quality hats at a price point a large group of people can afford and enjoy. It has been so rewarding to see all our customers walk away with a piece of Nashville. We love being a part of the city and becoming a must-stop attraction for visitors and locals alike.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
We are a custom hat bar in the heart of the Gulch, under the Thompson Hotel. Our central location makes our storefront accessible to visitors from all over the city.
We never expected the growth we’ve had since we opened eleven months ago. Looking back at what we thought would happen when we opened, we can’t be more thankful and grateful for all the love our customers have shown us. We love hearing stories from customers on how they found our store, seeing how connected our customer base is, is so fun.
We started this journey with the hope to bring a one-of-a-kind experience to Nashville. We wanted our store to be an attraction that even those not making a hat would enjoy. We are so proud of the way our team has continued to elevate our customer service to ensure everyone leaving our store loves their hat but more importantly, loved the time they had within our four walls.
Our goal is to be the number one thing people visiting Nashville want to do!
Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?
As good as crazy sales numbers are, we have been so close to running out of major inventory items numerous times due to supply chain issues and unexpected high demand for our products. It is by far the best problem to have but also the most difficult one because there are no real ways to fix it. We try to double/triple our orders and we still have the same issues. If we don’t have hats, we don’t have a business and at times it felt like we were very close to not having anything to sell.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
We love the power of social media. We have been so lucky to have several customers with large social media followings share their experiences in our store, leading to their followers coming into visit as well. Word of mouth (through social platforms) has helped us grow exponentially.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Brooke Boling- Honor Creative