Island Girl, Hannah, Maine Woman Entrepreneur Highlight
We have gotten to know (and totally adore) Hannah from Island Girl Homestead recently. We are in awe of not only all the amazing products she creates, but of her general inspirational and responsible outlook for the future. If you are looking for a unique, gorgeous, and eco-friendly gift, or treat for yourself; look no further than Island Girl Homestead.
Hannah has been aware and concerned about the level of waste in this world for her entire life. She has been determined to do her part to help change that from a young age and it became the inspiration for the amazing products she creates. “The first basket I made was with used rope, and I never looked back. Recycled rope is easy to work with and has character. It has been fished for who knows how long. I have seen unwanted rope thrown over into the ocean before, and if not that, it ends up at the dump. You would be surprised by how good a lot of it is that has been deemed unuseful to a Lobsterman.”
Hannah also is incredibly business-minded for such a young woman, and is passionate about the products she creates and the ways in which they are shared with the world.
“As I started to add new (non-rope) products to my shop, I was still very aware of the potential waste I could be creating with shipping supplies. I took a lot of time to make sure that wouldn't happen. All of the orders that get shipped out are sent with a note saying everything used to ship your order can be burned, composted, or reused. As I started to ship items, it was very important to me to be as eco-friendly as possible!”
Hannah’s mother introduced her to the idea of the woven rope baskets as a path towards assisting with the dream of owning her own horse and the someday goal of having her own farm. Once the technique was shared with her it really clicked and led her to create the unique recycled rope baskets and so much more. Hannah has access to lots of the used lobster rope in her community, thanks to so many people wanting to help support her goals. Additionally, (and pretty freaking amazingly we might add) Hannah is also a lobsterwoman herself and so she was accustomed to working with the material. The ability to reduce waste and recycle the unused or cast aside rope was the perfect marriage between her lofty future goals and her passion for reducing waste and bettering the environment.
“As a lobsterwoman myself, creating something with a material I was already familiar with, was great. I have always loved to haul traps, for reasons some might not understand. In those years I didn’t haul, I still wanted to feel connected to it.”
One of the most inspiring things about Hannah is how young she is to have already achieved all she has and to have such big dreams and plans for the future. But as she shared with us…”I do this all for horses. I never had any doubt once I started. I saw a business opportunity once it started to take off…. I could only see the good that allows me to pay for the care of my 2 beautiful horses and all of my other fur babies!” It is safe to say that she tackled this dream with eyes wide open and has zero regrets. While a business owner always has stressors, and she has her horses and fur babies relying on her, she does not let that get the best of her. She is focused and driven and truly awe inspiring. She credits much of it as luck and being blessed with both old and new loyal customers. We credit her strength, smarts, and drive!
Island Girl Homestead products can be found on their website and additionally through many local options as well. Hannah shared that she is lucky enough to have her rope products for sale in local shops such as Hawkes Lobster, Watson’s General Store, Island Candy Co., Bamforth Marine, and soon to be at Land’s End Gift Shop. She also occasionally has pop up stands, attends craft fairs, and sells from an in-home shop that she and her mother share. Island Girl Homestead is always looking for the opportunity to share her products in more local shops!
Hannah largely creates the products out of her own manpower, with some help here and there from her family and friends. She remains humble at all times even with all she has achieved. Hannah nevers seems to lose sight of the support and love from those around her being a large part of why she is as successful as she is. This acknowledgement only makes us gush over her even more.
“With the creation of the products, I have always liked being a solo mission. I am very particular, which has possibly set me back in some ways but I enjoy it. My mom has always been very inspiring to me. With her owning a small business as well, we help each other out often with odds and ends. She plays a big part in my determination. My brothers will help me cut rope some days, but they tend to let me just do my thing. I am also very very lucky to have friends that supply me with enough rope to sustain my business. These may not be directly involved with the producing of my products, I wouldn’t be able to do this without people supporting me.”
Island Girl Homestead has introduced many new products in the past year, including handmade wallets, sugar scrubs, bags, couch pillows, and new sizes of baskets. She shared that she also has some new ideas in the works, so be on the lookout for new products in the future. Hannah still has big dreams above and beyond her current creations of Island Girl Homestead someday being a settled farm and animal rescue. She sees these products as being a way to maintain support of these dreams and goals. “I will continue on with this business for the foreseeable future, and it will help support my rescue! It will always be a part of my life, and I am forever grateful for how far my small business has come.”
It's easy to see why our B|A team is totally in love with Hannah and running to get some of her amazing products into our own homes! We feel better for knowing her and comforted by the fact that there are strong, inspired, and passionate young women like Hannah to continue to do good in this world and for this world. Before our time was up we asked Hannah what advice she would give to like-minded peers who have dreams of starting their own small business. Her advice was (unsurprisingly) authentic and inspirational!
“I would tell everyone to go for it! Take your time, really try to have everything together before launching. Find something you see yourself enjoying, something that means something to you.
When I started out, I didn’t have a social media platform of any kind. I had an awesome support system through my community, friends, and family. I will say, if you are going to use social media, start promoting before you open! Post a bunch, get a good following, get people's attention. Don’t feel pressured to start a website right away. Always, always do everything with love. It can be stressful at times but trust me, it is all worth it!”
Squealing in delight over here guys. Squealing. Check out all she has to offer!!
Hannah Merrill
(207)-833-5022
kaboodajo@gmail.com
Instagram: @islandgirlhomestead
