We were lucky to catch up with Melinda Engelhart recently and have shared our conversation below.
Melinda, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Ooh! What a cool question! I think that resilience is a muscle built over time, not an inherent trait. My parents regularly challenged their children – the boys & the girls – to embrace adventure, whether it was exploring the woods, making doll houses out of cardboard, or building our own treehouse with nothing but ropes and left-over scrap wood.
I mean, we naturally want to provide for our kids, right?! – and that’s a good desire!! But my parents had a certain genius for stepping back to watch us figure it out – some times because they just didn’t have the money or time to give us the “real thing”, but often just because they wanted us to learn. And now I chuckle when I think of our lopsided club houses sitting several feet in the air (looking like an eyesore, I’m sure!) or the little cardboard boats, trailers, and cabins that cluttered our bedrooms while our dolls embraced adventure too.
But over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that “not having much”, “growing up poor”, and all of that, was actually a blessing: we had to just figure it out. My little band of brothers and sisters (there are 6 of us) learned to think outside the box, turn problems on their heads, brainstorm creatively, and when all else fails, try, try, again….and again….and again…until it works. “Anything worth doing is worth doing well,” my dad would often say, “do it again until it’s right.”
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
What an opportunity!! Thanks for letting me share my story & brands with you!! Shiplap+Sage was the first of my three brands, but this year we also purchased our own brick & mortar location called The Stables Marketplace – where we showcase not only our own brands, but also 50+ other North Carolina small businesses, creating a hub for artisans in our small town of Franklinton. Additionally, we launched a more masculine-focused, vintage patriotic line called Sacred Honor this spring. It’s been a busy year, for sure!!
As a whole, my brand(s) focus is to support other small businesses and build our communities, whether that means partnering with local retailers to encourage customers to shop our products locally or providing a home for makers to bring their ideas to life – we want to offer a boost to local economies and create a sense of home and togetherness.
As I’m writing this article, I’m sitting in a hotel room in Atlanta, Georgia. We took Shiplap+Sage to Americas Gift Mart, hoping to partner with more retail stores across the United States. So if you have friends who own shops or boutiques, do us a favor by spreading the word about Shiplap+Sage and what we’ve got going on – we’d love to share our love of home with your community!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Hmm…this is an insightful question. I’d say that the three skills that have been the most impactful for me are:
*Curiosity – learning to always ask the “why” & “how”. My dad used to say “you can borrow brains, but you can’t borrow character.” My folks worked hard to instill both good sense & good character in me, but I borrow brains as often as I can. And in the process, I’ve learned that most entrepreneurs & small business people are happy to help & share advice, provided that the questions are asked with respect & the answers are received with appreciation.
*Tenacity – I touched on this with the initial interview question, but when all else fails, try, try, again…and again…and again…until it works. I’m not saying that you should do the same thing over & over, expecting different results – that’s the common definition of insanity, right? But too many of us will try something once, and if it fails, say “well, oh well. There’s that. I guess I can’t do it.” NO!! Maybe you can’t do it – that way! – but is there another way to look at the problem?? I would encourage us all: get curious, ask questions (see these ideas go together…lol), and try doing it again, a different way. Failure is not a reflection of you – but quitting is. When I got an answer wrong in Algebra (and that happened alot! LOL), I assumed that I had made an error in the equation. So I’d start over and look for my mistake, fix it, and finish the problem. I didn’t throw up my hands and say, “well, there you see, Algebra is bad math. This just doesn’t work right.” Quick quitting is foolish – yeah, ouch, touch love there… but it is. Success is achieved by the valiant, not necessarily the genius.
*Courtesy – I liked the sound of these three words together, but when I say “Courtesy”, I mean, just be nice! Treat people with kindness, assume the best, give the benefit of the doubt, offer respect and consideration of others whenever possible. Life is hard. Everyone has challenges to overcome, private pain, and hidden disappointments – my mom used to say, “play nicely and have each other’s back,” and in this journey called life, I think we need more of that.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Ooohhh! I love this question – as the oldest daughter of a large family, I love to collaborate! And I’ve learned that the ability to collaborate well is a huge asset in business! So yes, I’d be honored to meet other friends in business – we’re looking for retail partners for both Shiplap+Sage and Sacred Honor (think home goods or boutique for Shiplap+Sage and more of the hardware-type store for Sacred Honor. And we’re always looking for local brands with creativity for The Stables Marketplace – classes, vendor space, creative collab opportunites – yeah, I’m pretty much down for all of it! And as far as connecting, you can email me: [email protected], reach out via social media @shiplapsage, or @sacredhonorus, or @thestablesmarketplacenc… I’m a fan of options! LOL
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shiplapandsage.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiplapsage/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shiplapsage
Image Credits
Kathryn Brannock
Kate Pope
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