Namaste Inc.

Hip Mountain Mama is a small family business founded in 2008 by Suzy Hawbaker.  HMM is a web-only store that strives to offer the best Hip and Natural Products for Babies, Kids, and Mamas.  Suzy at HMM has been a prominent retailer of Namaste products for the past 2 years.

After the birth of her first daughter, Suzy began searching out organic and natural products and parenting techniques to connect closely with her strong passion for living naturally.  Suzy’s commitment to preserving the Earth, raising her children in a conscious and natural way, and promoting other small family businesses are the keys to her success and that of Hip Mountain Mama.

As a stay at home mom of two daughters, Suzy spent a lot of time online searching for (and helping others find) the hippest products. She discovered that there were many natural toy and baby websites but that there was an opportunity to start a store that sold the best natural products for babies, kids, and women.  Namaste and Hip Mountain Mama have shared a serendipitous junction since the beginning of HMM in 2008.  We share Suzy’s vision of creating a product for that is animal-friendly, 100% vegan, and PVC-free.  Our like-mindedness has been the foundation for a fantastic relationship over the years.

Recently, Suzy was willing to answer some questions about her story as a Namaste retailer, and what being a Hip Mountain Mama is all about…..

Kelly (Namaste): When did you open the doors for your store?

Suzy (Hip Mountain Mama): We opened our shop to the public on August 1st 2008.

Namaste: What did you previously do before opening your store?

Suzy:  Before starting Hip Mountain Mama I was a stay at home Mama and my husband was a loan officer at a bank.

Namaste: Can you tell us a bit about what made you start your own business, and what your business is all about, in general?

Suzy:  I started the business 2 years ago as a way to work from home and help out with the family income.  My little part time job turned into a family business and we are so grateful my husband and I are both able to work for Hip Mountain Mama.  Hip Mountain Mama is a fun shop where women can come to find a variety of fun and unique products for them and their little ones.  We have a lot of products that are hand made, one of a kind, made with natural materials, and from small family businesses.

Namaste: What is your favorite thing about your store?

Suzy:  My favorite thing is my customers.  I love meeting new people and corresponding with like-minded folks on line.

Namaste: What is your favorite Namaste piece?

Suzy:  The needle binder…it gets used a lot and is such a great way to organize my knitting needles and notions.

Namaste: Why were you attracted to the line?

Suzy:  I LOVE knitting!  Namaste bags offer a cute and hip way to carry and organize your knitting stuff.  I also love that Namaste is a small family business!

Namaste: Can you tell me a bit more about who is involved in running your business and what everyone’s role is?

Suzy:  Hip Mountain Mama is run solely by my husband, Andy, and I.  Andy primarily takes care of marketing, packaging, and web site stuff and I take care of customer service, product research, and our blogs.  Of course there is so much more that goes into it and we just do what needs to be done given the time we have.  We have a 6 year old and 3 year old, so we also spend a lot of time hanging with the kids and they help us with the day to day duties of the business.

Namaste: How does the Namaste product line fit in overall with your store?

Suzy:  We offer a variety of hip products for women.  We wanted to make sure to include a knitting and crafting section in the shop because we are so passionate about crafting.  Namaste bags are not only great for knitters, but are very popular with our new mom customers as well as tons of non knitting women who just want a cute and functional bag.

Namaste: From a “Mama” perspective, what’s your favorite Namaste product to tote your kid stuff in?

Suzy:  My all time favorite bag is the Newport.  I really like the size of it.  I am also really excited about the new Messenger Bag and this is a great bag for Moms (in fact my friend just purchased a Messenger Bag to be used as a diaper bag and she is loving it)!  I do have to say that any of the Namaste Bags are perfect for Moms…there are so many pockets which works great for organizing all your Mommy stuff…toys, snacks, diapers, etc.!

Namaste: Who are most of your customers?

Suzy:  Really they are all over the board.  We have teenagers on up to Grandma’s ordering from us.

Namaste: What would you say is the key to the success of HMM?

Suzy:  The key is really listening to our customers and staying true to our vision.  When our customers asked for more eco friendly women’s clothing, we listened and just added several new clothing items.  By listening to our customers we are really allowing them to really help us shape what the store looks like and this is a lot of fun.  By staying true to our vision and carrying items from small companies our customers know that they are not only supporting us, but also other small businesses around the world….and this feels good.

Namaste: How does a Hip Mountain Mama spend her days?

Suzy:  A typical week day for me looks like this…take my 6 year old to her Nature School, take the dog for a walk, meditate, hop on the computer, have lunch, hang out with my 3 year old and finish up work, pick up my 6 year old, hang with the girls outside, dinner, bed time.  I know it’s not very exciting, but we do enjoy sneaking in hikes each week and trips up to the mountains.  This summer we did a lot of camping, going to festivals, and taking day trips to awesome places.

Namaste:  If you have a motto, what is it?

Suzy:  “A Natural Attitude at any Altitude”

Basically we want people to understand that it’s all about the attitude, not the altitude.  Whether you live in the mountains, at sea level, or anywhere in between you can be a Hip Mountain Mama.  It’s an attitude of taking life as it comes, enjoying nature and natural products, living simply, and having a blast.

Wow, thank you Suzy for you message and your interview.  One especially compelling statement that sums up the philosophy and guiding principles for HMM include the following:

“We are the parents of two beautiful children and we believe it is our duty to raise our children in a safe, healthy, natural, and environmentally conscious way. To us Hip Mountain Mama is not just a business but a way of life and our little way of making the world a better place for our children and for future generations.”Family values, functional products, having fun, and showing love to our Mother Earth.  Thank you for spreading your vision Suzy, and thanks for letting us all get to know you just a bit more.  We at Namaste aim to have even more “mommy” and “earth-friendly” products in the future; and we share your vision that we should all do our part to love our earth and have fun while doing it!  Namaste….

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