After seeing hat shops opening while she lived in Los Angeles, Ginny Stewart decided to open one of her own.
Stewart, the owner of Bowling Green Hats and Apparel, opened her shop in April of 2010.
When Bowling Green Hats and Apparel first opened it shared a space with Coyote Beads and Jewelry. A year later in April of 2011, Stewart moved into a larger location where her shop is currently located.
She decided to open the store because of her love of hats and fashion, and her unwillingness to stop working.
“I had retired in 2009 and wasn’t ready to retire,” Stewart said.
Stewart owned a kitchen and dining shop while living in Los Angeles, and when she came to Bowling Green she decided to open a hat shop.
When she moved from Coyote Beads and Jewelry into her own location she expanded her store from hats and accessories to women’s clothing as well.
“When I moved I decided to open up to include women’s apparel and men’s accessories like belts and wallets,” Stewart said.
The items sold in the store mostly come from the west coast and Canada.
“A large percentage is American made,” Stewart said.
One of the things that Stewart loves about the store is helping women dress well.
“I want the clothing to be fashionable, comfortable clothing that fit women so they can feel comfortable to be out in or dressing up and going out for an occasion,” Stewart said.
Besides the creative aspect of her job, Stewart loves being a member of the town’s community.
Graduate and Manager Suzanna Eberly began working with Stewart when she first opened the store.
“I was employed at Coyote Beads, and since they joined businesses I worked for both since they were within the same space, but I followed [Stewart] over here because I love working for her,” Eberly said.
The best part of working in the store is the community, and getting to see familiar faces each day, she said.
Eberly said they will usually see more faculty members shopping in the store, but they will occasionally see students.
Bowling Green Hats and Apparel offers many different things to the community, Eberly said.
“There is nothing like this in the area, and what’s neat is that a lot of products are made in the U.S. and pretty local,” Eberly said. “Nothing would ever be found in a department store; we sell unique things.”
Sophomore Lindsay Wagner said she likes that the majority of the things in the store are from the U.S.
“People might not want to buy things because they are from another country, or from a company they don’t know,” Wagner said. “It assures that they are getting good quality.”
For Wagner a store that sells a variety of accessories and clothes is something unique, and it’s something she doesn’t see in the downtown area too often.
“I think it’s something cute to add to BG,” Wagner said.
Stewart said her future plans for the store is to continue to bring in new lines and expand what she offers, but she doesn’t plan on expanding her store in size.
