Beatrice

The seed of Hillfolk was planted when I was 9 years old, growing up in the Bronx, when I taught myself how to knit and crochet. Due to the loss of my mother at age 3, and an immigrant father who was ill-equipped to handle raising two young girls on his own, I was left to my own devices, and the local public library was a bright spot in my life.

It was through my frequent library visits that I discovered crafting, and even though it was an arduous process to learn crafts through books on my own, it gave me a great sense of joy and accomplishment.

Fast forward to 2018, after owning and operating a successful restaurant in Bentonville, and working with Ropeswing on opening numerous hospitality concepts, I felt like I was ready to take on the challenge of opening up a maker space and retail experience that would translate the lessons I had learned growing up in the Bronx into a meaningful community space that supported the economic empowerment of small makers, especially women and people of color, and also provided hands on education on traditional and modern textile arts.