In Bowling Green, women prosper as business owners alongside their male counterparts.

There are 45 businesses in the city owned by women, said former Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Earlene Kilpatrick. Many of these businesses have placed stickers in their store windows, advertising they are a woman-owned business.

Haley Reese, owner of The Golden Vanity beauty lounge, spoke about the importance of the stickers posted in the front windows of women-owned businesses.
“It’s important that people don’t forget that women are pretty strong too,” Reese said.

Establishing strength as a business owner — and as a person — was familiar for Reese, who had overcome a major car accident. This led to the purchase of what would become The Golden Vanity after it “had fallen into her lap,” Reese said.

Reese exemplified the personality of a proud business owner with her confident grin and demeanor — even at seven months pregnant. Reese felt she did not have more to prove than her male counterparts and even looked to them for advice throughout her career.

The salon owner said when stabilizing a business you must “seek out information from other businesses, whether owned by a man or woman, and always learn from them to improve yourself and your business.”

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The focus is on creating an equal playing field for both men and women rather than trying to outdo one another.  

Lisa Palmer is the owner of Calico, Sage & Thyme and the newly opened Tea Thyme, which made its official opening in September.

“I don’t feel like I have more to prove to men because I am a woman,” said Palmer, who followed her initial statement with a smirk. “They have more to prove to me!”

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In 2016, Lisa Palmer purchased Calico, Sage & Thyme from Barbara Rothrock, who created the store in 1975. Palmer decided to purchase the store after her children left for college. She was looking for something to keep her busy outside of her medical career in Toledo that she is still actively employed at.  

Calico, Sage & Thyme offers many goods, including a variety of teas, honeys and jams, with teas being the most sold product. These goods are mostly brought in by Palmer in an effort to support local businesses.

Aside from being an involved business owner, Palmer said focusing on her business and moving forward to be as successful as possible led her to grow in her faith.

Palmer noted she has endured hardships during her time as a business owner, including worries of keeping the store afloat and attracting people into the business. Nevertheless, her faith has helped her along the way.

“Owning a business is hard, but letting God do his work and putting everything into his hands has led to the overall success of our business,” Palmer said.  

She encourages women who are interested in starting their own business to dive into what they dream of and make it a reality.

“If you have a dream, go for it. You can do it!” Palmer said.