Meet Emily Warner

We were lucky to catch up with Emily Warner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Finding my purpose was truly a LONG and winding road. I always vacillated between either being an artist with a non-traditional life or working a corporate job. It always felt like I had to choose between the two, that in order to be “successful” I had to sacrifice what I wanted and my creativity. That push and pull made me crazy. I always resented working for other people and helping build their dreams when I had so many creative ideas and dreams of my own.

It took COVID happening and taking a big risk to find my purpose. In the end, I wouldn’t have been able to create my business without ALL of the life experiences that I’ve had. I wouldn’t trade any of the jobs I’ve had for anything, no matter how soul-sucking.

Truly finding my purpose meant dreaming up what my ideal day would look like; who I would spend it with, what I would do, how much time I wanted to be on a computer, what I’m good at, etc. It’s ultimately the Japanese concept of Ikigai that has allowed me to find this – what I love, what the world needs, what you’re good at and what you can be paid for.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

It’s been almost 1 year since I opened the doors to High Noon General Store in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Although the shop is only a year old, the idea of it started way back when I was working a corporate tech job.

Inspired by my great-grandmother’s general store in San Francisco from 1914 – I had dreamed of opening a shop with a similar concept for over 10 years. When COVID hit in early 2020, I remember feeling so relieved to be locked down. The hustle of tech life was brutal and for a sensitive and creative person like me and it was starting to really take a toll on my mental health. I knew then that it was time to change my life.

What started as a week-long getaway to Santa Fe, turned into a permanent move and the opportunity and freedom to reinvent myself and follow my dreams. Santa Fe is steeped in a rich history and a vibrant art scene, but it struck me that there was a major gap in the market here. Most of the shops felt the same and everything was so overpriced. I knew that I could open a shop that had beautiful, well-crafted items that didn’t break the bank. I wanted the shop to be accessible and feel distinctive compared to everything else in town. I source high-quality, accessible products and brands with the belief that everyone deserves a beautiful life. Bringing guilt-free shopping to the community; with a focus on products that are well-crafted, last a lifetime and have a small footprint on the earth.

At the same time I opened the brick and mortar, I also launched our in-house brand, Santa Fe Surf Co.. What started as a goofy idea when I was out walking the dog has quickly turned into the top selling brand at the shop. I set out to create a streetwear line that I wanted to wear – cool designs on organic cotton shirts. It’s a bit tongue and cheek (surfing in the desert?!), but people with a sense of humor generally love the idea and I pinch myself that it’s worked out as well as it has so far! I had a few advisors tell me not to invest my money in the brand when I opened the shop, but I trusted my gut and am so glad I did.

What I love most about shop life is supporting other women owned brands and businesses and creating custom collaborations with them. From gorgeous chain-stiched jackets from Molyan, to hats from Minga and bags from Immodest Cotton it’s such a joy to work with other amazing women. Shop ownership truly combines all my past lives (artist, jewelry designer and event designer) and my passions (shopping, hosting, experience design). It’s wild to think that I’m only just getting started! There is so much room for growth and expansion.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The necessary skills that I had entering into shop ownership really did come from my career at a tech start-up. I learned there to be scrappy, to never give up, to really think about and design the entire customer experience and to always experiment and iterate. Having a growth mindset is the key to my success – not being afraid to “fail” but approaching every set back, road block or challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow.

What has also been so important for my early success is trusting my intuition and putting blinders on to what everyone and every other store is doing. Committing to do what’s best for me and the brand is easy because I’ve built the shop on a specific set of values and ethos that are easy to check myself and the decisions I have to make against- the north stars that guide me and are the foundation of the brand. Being really clear about that from the start has helped me grow and scale quite quickly.

I think the best advice I have for anyone starting a business is to; create a core set of values, don’t be afraid to try new things and, most importantly, work your business. I have really done everything myself at High Noon and with Santa Fe Surf Co. too. I built the website, do all the inventory, merchandising, buying, accounting, social media, shop cleaning, etc. It’s a LOT, and honestly way too much for one person, but to me it’s so important to know every aspect of your business. I think some entrepreneurs think that after a few months the business will run itself, but if you’re not there doing the day to day, you’re missing important opportunities to learn, grow and scale.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

My biggest challenge is keeping up with the growth. It’s such a blessing to have the success that I’ve had so far, but I have a fear that I’m going to mess it all up somehow because I’m juggling so much. I am constantly reminding myself to go slow and that my to-do list will always be growing. Learning to prioritize and say no sometimes has kept me from total burn-out doing all of this on my own.

By the fall I’m hoping to bring on a manager to help me with day to day operations now that I’ve laid such a strong foundation. Having more time to ultimately be the creative director and not a one-woman show will help me have better balance in my personal life and maybe even have the opportunity to take a vacation!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.highnoongeneralstore.com/ || https://www.santafesurfco.com/
• Instagram: @highnoon.generalstore | @santafe.surfco

Image Credits

Photographer credits:

Amanda Powell
Brandon Soder
Zach Chambers