Daily Inspiration: Meet Tessa Booth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tessa Booth. 

Hi Tessa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am from a small town in Southern Indiana. I joined the Army Reserve in 2010 and that is where I met my husband, Matt. I moved to Clarksville, TN in 2014 and have been a stay-at-home mom to our three kids for the last 7 years. It sounds weird to say that I have always been good at tying bows, but even when I was in high school as a cheerleader, I would always have girls asking me to tie their hair ribbon before games because they liked the way I did it. Over the years since I have helped friends with bows for gifts and wreaths in addition to own projects, so bows were always something I was doing here and there. When I became an aunt in 2007, I made my first actual hair bows for my nieces first birthdays. I didn’t really make hair bows again until 2016 when I was pregnant with my youngest child, who has had more bows than she could ever wear since before she was born. I started off with bows for my girls but eventually started giving them to the other kids in my life. Each time I was complimented and encouraged to start a business. Eventually, I decided to give it a go and I opened my website in 2018. I then did my first vendor event in 2019 and my products were available in stores starting in 2020. I now offer a few additional accessories on my site but my main product is always bows! 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Of course, the pandemic was hard on everyone and turned our lives upside down. On top of that, my father was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer that year and put in hospice in May 2020. Losing my dad was obviously very hard, doing it during the pandemic made it that much harder. Because of the way I do business I was able to take a couple months off and my amazing customer base not only welcomed me back with open arms but many sent encouraging messages and kind words throughout the whole thing. A lot of my business comes from social media and being able to share my life and connect with my customers has really turned many of them into friends but also allowed me to communicate easily when bumps in the road do happen. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The Bow Booth specializes in handmade ribbon hair bows. I make & sell other things on a smaller scale, such as floral baby headbands, clog charms, fabric masks, scrunchies, etc. Bows and clog charms are definitely my favorite. I started out making things my kids would like, and shopping for supplies with them is fun. There is at least some facet of my craft & business that each one of my kids finds enjoyable & cool and I really enjoy being able to share it with them. Making things my kids and I like easily translates to making thing customers like. In 2020 we entered our first storefront at Scriptures & Sawdust Handmade Gifts and Decor, which features all handmade products. By the end of 2020, The Bow Booth became available in Once Upon a Child here in Clarksville as well. And for the past few summers, we have had a booth at the Clarksville Downtown Market, which is personally my favorite event. I love getting to interact with so many kids and their adults as they shop my booth. Having adults like what I make is easy, getting the approval from kids is the hard part! So, it’s really fun to see kids excited about what I make. While I take my business seriously, everything in my booth is the opposite of serious. Big fluffy, colorful bows and charms for shoes can’t be serious, it’s all just for fun and I like that kids and adults have fun with me and my products, which is why my motto is #Hairbowsandhappiness because that’s what all of this is about. 

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My father was always my biggest fan no matter what I was doing. I am adventurous like he was, and no matter what adventure I decided to try he was always very supportive and cheered me on. He always encouraged me to follow my dreams and do my best at whatever it was I was doing. My husband is also a giant supporter in every facet of life and business. He is truly my other half and I wouldn’t be able to manage any of this without his love and support. I am so lucky and thankful I get to do life with him. My grandmother is also a very important person to me. I spent nearly every day with her when I was a kid, and she is wonderfully crafty and artistic. Growing up, she DIYed everything she could and always included me in her projects if she could, she really was a mentor to me when it comes to exploring art and creativity. She has always encouraged me to try new projects and to love them anyway when they aren’t 100% perfect. My kids are the reason for everything I do and inspired me to be the very best version of myself, which is an ongoing process. I want them to remember a mom who loved them and had fun with them, so they are the reason for the drive I have to keep all of this–life, business, and everything else–together. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.thebowbooth.com
• Instagram: @thebowboothtn
• Facebook: @thebowboothtn

Image Credits
Ashlee Baird