Shelbey Kendall follows her desires and promotes native entrepreneurship

Hannah Brown
| Kiowa County Signal

The Happy Homestead Store, an online boutique owned by Shelbey and Justin Kendall of Haviland, opened on February 11th.

“We have around 30 products on the market, but we have many more planned,” said Shelbey.

Orders from the website ship for $ 5 regardless of size. Local collection is possible in Haviland.

This online store is just the first step in a much bigger dream for the Kendall family. The end goal is a brick and mortar store that has a variety of products for sale, including products from the online boutique as well as products from their own homestead, including raw dairy products, eggs, and raw honey.

“We wanted to create a boutique experience in our small town because we don’t have the opportunity to go to a store in Haviland and shop for gifts, clothing, home decor and more,” said Kendall.

This idea has been in the works for several years, according to Shelbey. She and her husband have come up with ideas that will be of mutual benefit to their family and the Haviland community. The original plan was to open a physical store before the site went live, but COVID-19 and the construction of their family home have changed things. The Kendall’s hope to provide residents with a place to buy clothes, gifts, and decor while supporting other small businesses with ethical products.

One of these products is the Happy Homestead Palo Santo bracelets, which are made from real Palo Santo beads.

“We source our pearls from a company that is ethically sound, fairly traded and contributes to the continued conservation of the dry forests of Ecuador and Peru (where Palo Santo is located),” said Shelbey. “The pearls give off a unique woody aroma that can naturally have a calming effect.”

Shelbey and her 7 year old daughter combine these beads with various gemstones to create the bracelets sold in the Happy Homestead Store.

The ultimate goal goes well beyond the physical location where Kendall’s hope will one day open up.

“In addition to the physical location, our big dream for this business is to provide sunshine and opportunity in our community and for our own children,” said Kendall. “Our small town is limited to job opportunities for children when they are old enough to find a job, and work ethic coupled with entrepreneurship has always been a major focus of my life.”

To find all the products The Happy Homestead Store has to offer, visit the website at https://the-happy-homestead-store.myshopify.com/ or join the VIP group on Facebook.