Meet the women of The Hangout
Melissa Carpenter — Founder of The Hangout
Our fearless leader, mega boss babe and main visionary
+When did you start your business and what inspired you to go this direction?
I began my adventure in retail in 2014. After a 18 year path in fashion, I wanted to offer an experience to customers face to face.
In 2017 I opened my second store, and in 2018 I combined both of those stores into one space. I was able to complete the concept in this new space of offering an experience. I was also able to offer the space to other business owners who were wanting to do the same by sharing the floor space and creating an environment of learning and sharing with business owners, as well as customers.
+What piece of advice would you give other women entrepreneurs just starting out?
Solo business owner is a tough gig! Surround yourself with SUPPORTIVE women. Listen to your heart. Take time to breathe.
+What's the most important thing about your business that you want your consumers to know?
Jhoanna Belfer — Bel Canto Books
Master curator and intellectual wonder woman!
+When did you start your business and what inspired you to go this direction?
I started Bel Canto Books in 2018 as a pop-up book club and bookstore, hosting a few events each month around Long Beach and Orange County while I continued working my full time job. I quit my job in the summer of 2019 to devote more time to growing the business, and we moved into our brick-and-mortar space at The Hangout in November 2019. The rest is herstory! I was inspired to open a bookstore by one of my favorite authors, Ann Patchett, who owns Parnassus Books in Nashville TN. I got to hear her speak at a writers' conference in 2017, just after the election, and she spoke so movingly about how her bookstore served as a space for people to find solace, inspiration and community after such a dispiriting election year. I knew then that I wanted to do the same.
+What keeps your creativity and inspiration going? Podcasts, magazines, music, mentors?
I love seeing what other bookstore owners, readers and writers are doing/reading/writing, often through their social media posts. Two bookstores that I highly admire and aspire to be like are Loyalty Books in the Washington DC area and The Silver Unicorn Bookstore in Acton MA. I love Brené Brown's podcasts about leadership and vulnerability, and I follow the book reviews in the LA Times, NY Times, and Washington Post. And I'm so inspired by all the wonderful independent businesses in Long Beach, places like BYO Long Beach and District Wine (both woman-owned!).
+What's the most important thing about your business that you want your consumers to know?
I started this business out of a desire to do more for myself and my community - to reconnect us with the joy of reading, to foster a greater sense of wonder and curiosity, and to provide a space for us to gather, in person or online, as book lovers, friends and family.
Tanya Bartels — The Golden Garden
Our favorite green witch with the ability to nurture any plant and even your not so green thumb
Golden garden started a little over 3 years. I took a risk and left a career in fashion to pursue my passion. Gardening helped me learn so much about life that I really wanted to share it with other people.
+How do you balance home life with entrepreneur life?
That’s a tough one for me. I’m working on that all the time, but having a consistent yoga and meditation practice has helped me feel more balanced between the two.
+What's the most important thing about your business that you want your consumers to know?
Plants are very special and can offer so much positivity in our lives. We want people to walk away being inspired to learn more about that and have a deeper understanding of all they’ve provide to us.
