Full of feathers, gems and baubles — Sonoma Hat Bar is a new business that brings a fun activity to a traditional event like birthday or bachelorette party.
Founder Taylor Liddy runs the business alongside her 9-to-5 job in a marketing agency. Sonoma Hat Bar was inspired by a trip she took to Texas in January. The venture took her to a rodeo, and the glitz and glam fashion that surrounded her sparked both joy and motivation.
She had a vision — in which party guests could design their own unique hat to take home from the event. Individual style partnered with a deft hand at design was the foundation of Sonoma Hat Bar.
By mid-February, Liddy was ordering supplies and had launched on Instagram. Soon, customers came calling.
Liddy assembles the hats once party-goers pick out their accessories, which include gems, ribbons, beads, pins, feathers, flowers, chains, branding stamps and more. The goal is to create a party favor that guest will actually use and wear long after the event is over.
“It’s just so fun to see people pick stuff out,” Liddy said. “It’s really fun to see what people come up with.”
A birthday party in mid-March was her first event. She wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but she loved handing people their final product. Though Liddy puts them together, the look and feel of the design is guided by the person who picks out the accessories.
Many of the women in attendance decided to add elements that had real personal value, like charms with their children’s initials or flowers that carried a specific meaning.
“For them to be able to take ownership and make it their own, they end up with coming home with something very personal to them,” Liddy said.
The business is deeply rooted in her passion for fashion.
She debated going to design school when she went to college, but ultimately decided against it. But she took many fashion classes in high school, and continues to knit, crochet and sew, the latter of which has been an asset to creating the hats.
Beyond the parties, she sells her own original designs on Instagram and at local pop-up events, like the recent Plantmania event at Cornerstone Sonoma.
As a marketing professional, she’s been able to find success in branding herself, which has become its own fun separate side project for her to dive into.
“In a lot of ways it’s a fun passion project, but it’s also a fun experiment,” Liddy said. “This whole thing is kinda for my own enjoyment, but I welcome finding success in it.”
The social nature of the business itself has also provided a great outlet for meeting new people. She moved to Sonoma in November of 2019, just months before the pandemic. Sonoma Hat Bar offers her a chance to get to know the community, which was difficult during her first few years in town.
“The number one surprise (in starting the business) is how supportive the whole community has been,” Liddy said. “Seeing the support for a local business has been really inspiring.”
Visit the Sonoma Hat Bar website at sonomahatbar.com to book Liddy for events, or to check on her pre-made selection. Look out for upcoming pop-up events on the Sonoma Hat Bar Instagram.
You can reach Staff Writer Rebecca Wolff at rebecca.wolff@sonomanews.com. On Twitter @bexwolff.
Source : The Sonoma Index
