It was Kendra MacNeill’s passion for home decor and design that led her to open Hester House last June. Before she opened Hester House, her home goods store in Mill River, MacNeill was working as a registered pharmacy technician with Health PEI and decided on a career change. Being an entrepreneur had been a long-held dream and she’d had a passion for home decor and design for as long as she could remember. Opening the store “made sense at the time,” she says. “There was a need in the area.” MacNeill’s drive to open up her own business pushed her to take workshops through CBDC and Innovation PEI to help create a business plan. “It required a lot of research and talking to people. I pitched the idea to a few family members and friends and then ran with it,” she shares. MacNeill says her biggest inspiration as a business owner are fellow women entrepreneurs inside and outside the industry. “There are so many female powerhouses in the design and decor industry; it’s very inspirational. So many of them started from the ground up and they grew to be huge household names.” In the meantime, MacNeill is doing her part to help other entrepreneurs by offering products from local artisans and sourcing Canadian companies as much as possible. Carrying quality home goods and inspiring living products that are truly unique is very important to MacNeill. Included in her shop are artisans like MacAusland’s Woolen Mill blankets, “an Island staple,” and greeting cards that are made with seed paper. “You
can plant the card under a thin layer of soil, water, and ta da! You've got some beautiful sentimental flowers.” Customers can expect a carefully curated mix of products at Hester House, including an arrangement of things from home decor to gifts, pet goods and a small selection of children's things, to name a few. “We try to have an assortment of tastes so we have a little something for every style and budget,” MacNeill says. “There is nothing around like it. Our items are unique and ever-changing. It is a spacious, cozy storefront that really adds to your shopping experience.” Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is something she still uses herself: working hard and asking questions. “Work hard for what you want, don't give up and if you don’t know where to start, start by asking questions,”’ she says. “I love the networking and connections you get with customers and clients. I’ve met so many great people and have had so many good conversations along the way.” MacNeill’s gamble to open her business and go all in on her passions has paid off in spades, and it’s something that MacNeill is aiming to do for a very long time. “I love that my job is ever-changing. There’s always something to be learned and there’s no glass ceiling, the sky is the limit.”
32 MacKenzie Crescent, Mill River 902.859.3776
SPRING 2023 www.pei-living.ca
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