We had the good fortune of connecting with Taylor Hillberry and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Taylor, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
52native began as an idea over the 2020 quarantine in my spare bedroom. We wanted our local restaurants and business to be able to offer great merch from a local vendor with no minimum purchase required in order to ease the strain of closures and limited capacities. Since then we have moved into a store front in Erie where we offer on site embroidery, printing, and graphic design services.\
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I began my professional career as a high school art teacher. I loved making connections with students and sharing my love for the visual arts. It was very inspiring to watch so many minds creatively solving problems and I gained great perspective on the scope of creative expression. I have always loved drawing, painting, and ceramics but over the pandemic wanted to find a way to make a bigger difference in my community. That’s when my friend and I began making T shirts in my spare bedroom and it took off from there! I love being challenged creatively so learning the ins and outs of apparel printing and embroidery has been a fun change of pace and also very rewarding. I still get to be creative myself by painting pet portraits or other little projects on the side.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh this is too hard to answer there is too much fun stuff to do in Colorado! I’ll make up one dream day though. We would definitely want to get an early start and maybe walk around Boulder or Golden, pop into some shops and get a coffee. Then it would be time for brunch- somewhere with a patio if its nice is ideal, but for this hypothetical day I’m gonna want a breakfast burrito smothered in that delicious Colorado green chili. Senior Gomez in Lafayette is a great hidden gem for that (and a strooong screwdriver). Then we would want to go do an outdoor activity again, maybe some grass volleyball or hit the slopes for the afternoon depending on the weather. Obviously we would want to eat again and this time probably have some sushi at sushi rama in Denver cause who doesn’t love that little conveyor belt. After that we’re bar hoppin through Denver and looking for some music to dance to! Then hopefully headed back to someone’s apartment with a hot tub to finish out the day!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family has always been supportive of my dreams of art and entrepreneurship. My father is a professional artist and after my mom retired from a career in education she helped him run a successful business. They taught me everything I needed to know about starting something from scratch and are still always willing to help out. Whether my dad is installing new shelves at the shop or my mom is pressing t-shirts and doing the books, I never could have gotten where I am today without their support!
Website: www.52native.com
Instagram: @52native
Facebook: @52native