Coming to Otero County as a military spouse, Chelsea Hayes fell in love with Alamogordo – the area and the community. Even after a divorce, she had no interest in leaving.
“There is something about this place that has this homey feel to it,” she said. “It has a sense of community, and I really am blessed that even in the short time that I have been here, I have been able to connect with so many types of people.”
She heard about a MainStreet business incubator program in the area and jumped right in to learn about beginning a business of her own. There she met Rhiannon Farley and the two realized their business ideas were comparable. Now they have opened a store front together with both businesses bustling, Hayes’s Ebenezer Hats and Farley’s Boujee Bandit.
Hayes said her hat business started with her love of wearing hats. She was frustrated because she could never find hats that fit.
“Whenever I would buy them at a retail shop, they wouldn't fit because I have very thick hair,” she said. “If I want it to fit, I have to straighten my hair and that’s not my true hairstyle.”
She started thinking about hat companies with more inclusive sizing and, she said, there really isn’t one. Yes, there are custom hat makers out there, but you pay a premium and then you wish you had more, but you can’t afford it.
“So, I thought, “let’s find something in the middle, so I prayed about it,” she said. “And I came up with the idea of having a hat company called Ebenezer (pronounced Eh-ben-neh-zer) Hats.” She said she didn’t want people to associate her with Ebenezer Scrooge, so she changed the pronunciation.
During a soft launch event, Hayes said she got orders for custom hats and has been able to create a six-tier system from the head measurements taken. Once she gets several hat orders, Hayes will send the information to an overseas manufacturer which will create the hats.
“Sustainability is very important to me,” she said. “It is not the most expensive hat out there, but it is an investment.”
She wants people to be excited about their hat investment and feel good about it. There are three types of materials the hats can be ordered in: Australian wool is the highest premium fabric at $175; suede is $80; and felt is $75. She also has three colors available – hunter green, deep brown and black.
While some other retailers are in a similar price bracket, Hayes said the difference is her hats have silk lining and a Velcro string, so customers are getting a little bit more for the right price.
“The cool thing with my hats is there is there is a hidden string on the inside that you can hide underneath the band which reduces the size as much as three centimeters. So, if you do change your hair style around, or do it differently, or shave your head, you can reduce that, so the size still fits.”
Hayes said she finds joy in being able to help people.
“I love seeing people light up when I tell them about my business,” Hayes said. “They get to put on the hat and say, ‘this feels great!’ That, to me, is the million-dollar response.”
Ebenezer Hats/Boujee Bandit can be found at the Granada Shopping Center, 700 E First Street, Suite 712 in Alamogordo. Open hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Tuesdays to Saturdays. Info: 575-228-7735
