Even if you are from the same neighborhood as someone else, you might still be coming from different places. Where you are from is a complicated question and it elicits complicated, but interesting and thought-provoking responses. We’ve shared some of those responses below.

Maia Baccari | Hearne’s Footwear and Clothing

I grew up along the Front Range of Colorado. I spent my youngest years in Berthoud, where my Mom and business partner, Carolyn Hearne started her first retail establishment, Berthoud Mercantile in 1974. I spent many days of my childhood behind the jewelry counter of that store listening to Beatles records on an old turntable. Berthoud is a small town and I always felt connected to the entire community because of the interactions that took place at the shop. My Mom moved her family and her business in 1985 to Greeley. She re-named the business Hearne’s Fine Goods and filled the front room of the old Victorian house that we lived in with fine footwear, clothing and jewelry. We welcomed the Greeley community into our business and our home every day. I believe that small businesses are an intricate part of the local community. They should be a place where everyone feels welcome and at home. Read more>>

Kim Curry | Former Radio broadcaster/Programmer, Writer

I’m from Cañon City, my dad worked on the only radio station in town, KRLN. I was the Drum major of the CCHS band, in Modern Choir, Senior Class President and the Class Clown. I was the perfect candidate to run the recorded religious programs on the radio station Sunday mornings. He volunteered me and got me started in the business that served me well for 33 years, until the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis which forced me into retirement. Read more>>

Josh Peter | Co Founder and Creative Director, It’s Good Outside

I grew up a few miles outside a small town in northern Illinois. There was nothing to do—fantastically so. These were the days when your folks kicked you outside and told you to home for supper. I’d grab a bb gun, hop on my bike and head out into the woods and fields for hours on end with my friends. If you look at our brand, it’s obvious how that upbringing has impacted It’s Good Outside. We want to help nurture a culture of spending time outside for its own sake. Today, we don’t get out enough. We slouch over desks all day; we consider activity and exercise a chore; we’re sun and soil deprived. It’s Good Outside is about recreating that childhood experience of exploring and loving the outdoors, for everyone. We HAVE to do this, quite simply because it’s what we’re made for. Just don’t shoot birds with your bb gun. It’ll haunt you later. Read more>>

Mark Brasuell | Artist

I was born in 1964 in a very small town in West Texas called Roscoe. Growing up in a very rural environment informed my work and a very early stage as I mainly focused on landscape. At the age of age my mother sent my brother and I to an art teacher to take art classes. Well my brother wasn’t very interested in it I really found my muse here. I started drawing and painting and studying how to teach painting from some well-known West Texan artists. Being a gay artist was challenging and being from a small town, I knew i had to get out. At the age of 15 I actually taught my very first painting class and was well on my way to becoming a professional artist. I then moved to Lubbock Texas and went to Texas Tech University to study painting and drawing. It was there that I met Ken Dixon a prominent regional artist and I learned what it was like to have compassion for what you do. Ken was probably the only teacher that I had that was actively making artwork. Read more>>

Harmony Bowman | Outdoor Enthusiast and Entrepreneur

I grew up the flower child daughter of an herbalist mother and cannabis advocate father in Portland, Oregon. My mom always said her favorite activity was ‘digging in the dirt’ and she used our garden’s bounty to craft her legendary homemade salves, dry flowers for facials and potpourri and even blend herbs to make the most divine seasoning salts. While I once found this lifestyle uniquely embarrassing (I was bringing organic arugula salads and apples from our orchard for lunch long before clean eating was mainstream), I ultimately embraced my upbringing and discovered my own personal commitment to the environment and sustainability. My mother’s love for making beautiful products instilled in me a deep passion and appreciation for the power of plants. Many years later, my career in marketing led to my obsession with finding clean, non-toxic products that aligned with my early-instilled values and fit with a modern lifestyle. Read more>>