Ever wondered how Lilac Market Headbands came to be? Get ready, it's story time!
Once upon a time, a woman had an obsession with headbands. That woman was me.
Between work in the emergency room as a pre-med student, going to my local CrossFit gym and maneuvering daily life, I started wearing headbands nearly every day.
But after trying several different brands, I realized I had a problem: all of them slid off, gave me a headache and were up to $20 each. I couldn't afford to have nearly as many as I thought I needed.
I thought, "There’s no reason why I can’t make these better myself."
So, I purchased my first sewing machine. My goal? To create an affordable headband that met all of my needs.
And then I just did it.
Co-workers began purchasing headbands as fast as I could make them. I was notorious for carrying around a cute hatbox full of hand-made bands everywhere I went. If they saw the box, they knew I had the goods. 
I was in denial and it took a lot of people to convince me there was something there. I never thought anything like this would happen.
Soon, orders for Lilac Market Headbands started pouring in, and I needed some help. That’s when I hired Tessa, my first employee (who just celebrated her 2 year anniversary!). She was the inspiration for what is now the Lilac Market tradition of naming our floral prints after real people. Every floral has a story, and Tessa was the one who started it all. Together, we would work all day just to fulfill a few orders out of my bedroom. Tessa's first desk was literally my bedside table. We were the definition of humble beginnings!
Sometimes I get embarrassed by how we got started. It wasn’t a glorious startup. It was slow, I made mistakes and it took way more time than I thought it should have. We had very, very humble beginnings.
It wasn’t long before that bedside table turned into a whole bedroom, then another bedroom. The following year brought more employees, more space and of course, a lot more orders. I felt called to invest in this wild dream full-time. After a lot of encouragement, I took the scary plunge into ownership and self-employment.
You might be wondering where the Lilac Market name came from. The business name was inspired by my mom Kim, who passed away in 2015 from cancer. Mom was truly my best friend, and the first person I wanted to call while starting out. All I could think about was wanting to fill her in on the newest print, how many orders we had, and all the stresses that come with running a business. Growing up, I fondly remember helping her plant lilac bushes in our yard, her favorite color and my favorite flower. It seemed only fitting to keep her with me by naming the business in memory of her, and designing her own headband, the Kim Floral.
While building up momentum within the business, I made connections to people and organizations that touched my heart, and I saw how Lilac Market Headbands could help.
There's no point in having a platform at all if you don't use it to help others.
Opportunities to work with incredible charities like St. Jude Runs, powerful positivity warriors like Ashley F., and wholesaling partnerships with fellow small businesses that focused on people and not just products began falling into my lap. It felt like everything was working out as planned.
Then, 2020 hit.
It seemed like a total disaster.
I felt like I had to start all over again. Everything changed, and I had to pivot really quickly on how we did things, otherwise I would have lost the business.
That year was tough - all the unknowns, access to materials, downsizing of the few but very necessary employees was alarming. Not to mention the health crisis sweeping the globe, including one whole week where it was just me and one other employee doing the work of 7 while waiting for a COVID-19 test result (which turned out to be negative) while the air conditioning was out in 100 degree weather. True story.
But despite it all, the business was still growing, still needed more room, and more help. Only through the amazing support of customers and partners who shared, it was time to think of leaving the nest into a better suited home.
This year, what I thought was nearly impossible happened: Lilac Market Headbands moved into its own space.
With 10 employees strong, a new 3,000 square foot building and big dreams, our small business is just getting warmed up with plans for the future. None of which would be possible without our tribe of followers.
Anyone who has bought a headband for their aunt who's a nurse, their friend with cancer, a new mom or for themselves, you're a part of our story as much as I am.
And if that's you, dear reader, allow us to take the chance to truly say thank you, from our heart to yours. And take pride in the upcoming changes we'll be making in the next year!
My goal for 2021-2022 is to continue to expand and diversify our growth, work smarter instead of harder, and stick with maintaining the reputation we’ve built with our customers. Business really is all about relationships, not just a good product. I’m as proud of the ethics of my team and this company as I am of the headbands themselves.
The Lilac Market team says "We love you!"
I didn't start with many prints at first, but these classics below were some of the forerunners in the Lilac Market Headbands catalog. Can you believe they're still best sellers today?
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- How Lilac Market Headbands Came to Be
- Our Story
- About Us
- Classic Headbands
- Behind the Scenes