Hallie B in downtown Rockwall encourages patrons to ‘Shop Local, Think Global’
ROCKWALL, TX (Nov. 20, 2014) A colorfully painted sign reading H. B. Shack stands out in the unassuming little yard off North Goliad Street, directly across from the Life House coffee shop. A quaint wooden swing hangs from ropes off the tree. The “shack” may remind visitors of someplace far away, perhaps a beach house in Jamaica, with its soft brown paint and cozy front porch.
Those approaching the Hallie B. boutique may not even realize it’s a store. In fact, according to owner Hallie Brynn Fleming and her coworkers, the words “boutique” and “store” don’t really describe the business she opened back in February of last year.
“We don’t really view it as a store; we’re a story behind a store,” Hallie said. “We try to work with organizations around the world. So let’s say I hear about an organization, and then I’ll go work with them overseas and see if I believe in what they’re doing, like with TOMS Shoes, for instance. We’ll go over there and work with them and see if their story matches up with what they tell people back in the States, and if it does then we’ll carry it in the store.”
Hallie drew the inspiration to start her own business from working at Nordstrom (as well as being a personal trainer and nanny) in Austin and doing medical sales in Rockwall. Those experiences helped her to learn how to love others, and to teach them to love big and live free, part of the business motto (and really, the way of life) at Hallie B.
“Our goal here with the girls that we hire is to make them feel just as welcome as a customer should,” Hallie said. “We’re a lot different in the way that we love people. Our whole mission is to love people, so that’s really our first focus.”
The girls at Hallie B. are also stylists, so if you ever need to be styled for a fashion show or other events, it’s all covered.
“We’ll style you from head to toe,” Hallie said. “Because I have a stylist background, I do the whole thing.”
Another motto the girls of Hallie B. support is, “Shop Local, Think Global.” Hallie B. works with over 10 countries across the globe, but also does girls mentoring through Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall and works with a homeless shelter in Los Angeles called The Giving Keys.
A big believer in giving back, Hallie B. showcases jewelry and other items from fair trade lines around the world, such as Raven + Lily and Sole Hope. Some of her most popular (and perhaps most unique) items are bullet casing jewelry, comprised of handcrafted beads and charms made from melted bullet casings found in Ethiopian war fields in Africa.
Other items include floral headbands from Woodstock Jolie and Hand in Hand bar soap, which donates one bar of soap and one month of clean water to a child in need for every bar of soap sold.
Lokai bracelets are another unique accessory offered at Hallie B. The bracelets are made of white beads containing water from Mt. Everest and a black bead containing mud from the Dead Sea, to remind us to stay humble, hopeful and always moving forward, whether we’re feeling on top of the world or down on our luck.
“I don’t care about numbers,” Hallie said. “If it happens to sell, then that’s great, but I don’t care about it. I honestly think that’s what makes us most successful, is the fact that the more we give, the more successful we get.”
Another line Hallie is passionate about is Sole Hope, an organization which provides rubber-soled shoes to people in Uganda to protect them from sand jiggers. Jiggers, also known as Chigoe Fleas, are parasites which bury into the feet and hands of their host and lay multiple eggs, causing swelling, pain and quite possibly infection once they are pricked out. Hallie B. works directly with Sole Hope to help remove the fleas, educate the people in Africa about the importance of wearing shoes, and provide them with rubber-soled shoes. Sole Hope’s infant shoe collection can also be purchased at Hallie B., and purchases in return help support Sole Hope.
Hallie said she usually feels comfortable whenever she travels to Uganda to gather ideas and items for her business, and that in her experience, the locals there are very welcoming.
“Africa’s the first place that I went, and I just fell in love with it,” Hallie said on why she chooses to travel to Africa for inspiration. “There’s simplicity over there but they’re 10 times happier.”
Hallie’s visits to Africa normally involve a trip to a local coffee shop in the morning followed by a ride on a Boda-Boda Motorcycle Taxi into different villages for some direct trading with the local crafting ladies.
“Whenever I’m riding into the villages on the Boda-Boda motorcycles, the children will point and shout, ‘Mzungu! Mzungu!’ which means ‘white person,’ which is a little awkward,” Hallie said. “But for the most part I’m comfortable over there. A lot of people ask if I’m ever scared and honestly I’m not.”
While Uganda remains a staple place for Hallie to visit for direct trade, she plans to branch out into other countries such as Guatemala to gather more ideas for her business.
From digging out sand jiggers from people’s hands and feet inUganda, to fabulously styling the local residents of Rockwall, the girls of Hallie B. aren’t afraid to share their passion for style, their zest for life, their willingness to love big and to live free. In fact, they want nothing more than to pass all of that on to each and every guest and to share the story behind their store.
“The Hallie B. woman is full of color, happy and free-spirited,” Hallie said. “She digs her heels into adventure and is not afraid to get her hands dirty.”
#ShopRockwall
Story and local photos by Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News staff writer and reporter. Uganda photos courtesy of Hallie B.
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