Five years ago, on a beach at sunset with a notebook and a glass of red wine, I started daydreaming about a someday. This is the story of how Hibiscus Hippie began.

Five years ago, I was sitting on the beach at sunset with my notebook in my lap and a glass of red wine in the sand beside me. I was tired. After so many years of working for other businesses, I felt drained, and I kept asking myself one simple question: what do I love? I hadn't been making plans, but I was daydreaming about everything that had led me right here. 

 

One of my earliest memories that I can still see in my mind as clear as day, is watching my great grandmother at her old-fashioned black Singer sewing machine, making a wedding dress for my mother's second marriage. I sat there amazed as she turned yards of silky fabric into something so beautiful from the very first stitch to the very last. Then watching my mother try the dress on, I was in awe and secretly wished for a moment that I could do that too before running off to play. I really didn't realize it then, but that was the moment something in me clicked.

Then came my Aunt Annie, who spent afternoons at her house in upstate NY teaching me how to sew when I was just a kid. I remember her patience, sitting there excited and scared at the same time, the hum of the machine, and how magical it felt to turn a plain piece of fabric into something I did with my own two hands. So strange, getting older and not being able to remember a lot from my childhood, I still see her, the room and the machine vividly.  

That little spark never went away. In high school I took a sewing class and a fashion design class, and I loved every minute of it, from sketching ideas to sitting at the machine and watching them come to life. Then life happened, like it does. Over the years, once my kids were tucked into bed, the house would get quiet and I'd pull out whatever craft I was learning at the time. Some nights it was sewing, some floral arranging, and some nights just experimenting to see what I could come up with. Those late-night hours became my happy place to just chill and relax. The crafting seemed to take all the stress of the day away. 

There was a season of life, with four little kids at home, when I didn't have the money to just go out and buy myself new clothes. (Although, to be fair, I already had a bigger wardrobe than anyone I knew!) That time taught me to take care of every piece I own and truly appreciate it. Clothes aren't just things. They hold memories, and when something is made well and made with love, it's worth keeping.

I think I come by the love of clothing, honestly though, it's in my jeans 😉 (genes). My mother has always had a ton of clothes, shoes, and pocketbooks, and at 82 she still does! So, if you ever wonder how I ended up with seven closets full, you can blame her, I do. 😂

But my style was always a little different, and not everyone understood it. I still remember heading out one day with my kids, feeling pretty cute in my outfit, when a family friend laughed and said someone should buy me some decent clothes. It stung more than I let on and it took me right back to Mrs. Santos' class in 6th grade.  My mom had sewn some cool material at the bottom of my jeans, and I thought they were the greatest thing ever. We were lining up to head out to recess, and this boy says to me, "what are your parents too poor to buy you new pants?" So, after that day with that comment from that so called family friend, and for a long time after that, I felt like I just couldn't be me. 

There were so many times I bought something I loved, something unique, brought it home, and hung it up. Then when it was time to actually wear it, sometimes I would go as far as washing it and getting the outfit together but then I'd freeze, afraid of being made fun of again or hearing another rude comment. Back on the hanger it went, and I would tell myself, "Someday."

So, there on the beach, with the waves rolling in and the feeling of a profound sense of calm, I started writing down what I really wanted to do. My own business incorporating all of the things I love. The clothing, the accessories, the crafting. I thought about how I wanted my business to start, how it should grow, and what I wanted it to feel like. More than anything, I wanted it to be real. Items made from the heart, the way my great grandmother and Aunt Annie taught me.

That daydream became Hibiscus Hippie.

It took some time (five years, to be exact!), but I'm finally bringing my clothing and art to life. While planning and taking business classes, I had to continue at my job as we had a house that needed fixing up. Then I was injured and everything changed. It was time. Those are stories for another day though.

It started small. With seven closets full of clothes, I had cared for and loved over the years (and plenty I'd saved for "someday"), I began reselling pieces from my own wardrobe. Not having to dress for work every day now, and living the Florida life, there was no need for so many.  Somedays it's hard to part with some of them, but giving those clothes a second life with someone who would enjoy them feels so right. That was the very beginning of this website and over the last few months it has begun growing into something more. Over the years I've learned so many new things that I enjoy, especially graphic design, and with living now in Florida so close to the beach I am able to incorporate seashells into many items I craft. Every piece I make carries a little of that beach, a little of those late nights, and a lot of the women who made me who I am.

Hibiscus Hippie is my someday. I know in my heart it's going to be something special, and I hope it helps you wear your someday too.  Wear the unique outfit, buy the craft you love. Be you.

Thank you for being here at the very beginning.  I can't wait to share what comes next.

With love and salty hair,
Barbara
Hibiscus Hippie 🌺

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