Life & Work with Hailey Pait And Jake Dial of Fort Collins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hailey Pait And Jake Dial.

Hi Hailey Pait, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I, Hailey, started Oddlie Co. by selling tote bags with vinyl designs on them at a cafe I worked at. I noticed that vinyl sometimes peels off or starts getting wonky after a while of use and really wanted to be able to make items with quality that wouldn’t deteriorate. My partner told me about embroidery machines and I did a lot of research. Eventually I decided to just take the plunge and invest in one. After many failed beanie attempts, I finally taught myself how to successfully embroider and made the money that I bought the machine for back in one month of sales. Since then, our business has only grown. I moved to Colorado with my best friend, Jake, who has joined the Oddlie Co. team and we’ve been working hard on business collaborations and selling in two local stores. We hope to continue to grow from here!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When I first started embroidery, I had no experience with embroidery or sewing machines. I had no one in my life who could teach me, so I had to use the power of the interwebs to teach myself. It’s also quite an investment, not only in the machine itself, but also in the supplies and merchandise. I had to spend a lot of money (and time) before I could make it. That’s always hard to do when you’re not certain about how things will go. Recently, Jake and I moved to Colorado from North Carolina to try to further our business. We love the art community here and feel like it’s the perfect place to grow. However, starting somewhere completely new is always risky. We’ve had to learn how to navigate life in a completely different environment and find where we fit in, both as individuals and as a small business. However, I feel like we’ve done a great job so far and we’re so excited to keep growing!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Oddlie Co. is a small Lumbee Native American and queer owned business that Jake and I run with our two embroidery machines in our little apartment. We make all of our own designs ourselves, usually inspired by the queer community, nature and memes. For now, we specialize in hats and beanies, but we hope to expand to clothing in the near future. The moment that we find the most inspiring is when we see people excited to wear our products! It makes us feel like we’ve had a positive influence on someone’s day, even if only for a moment. All we want is to make creative things that people can relate to and enjoy. Our perspective, designs and self-reliance set us apart from others. We don’t drop ship. We do all of the embroidery ourselves so every product has been personally sourced. We believe that being involved with the process itself is just as important as the finished product.

How do you define success?
Success in a business is when we create something that feels like us. It isn’t about just making something exist, it’s about making something that feels right. We want to make products that can positively impact others, but also ourselves. It looks like learning and adjusting without losing our passion. Only when our hearts are fully in it, will we ever be truly successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://oddlieco.etsy.com
• Instagram: @oddlie.co
• Facebook: Oddlie Co.