Like many entrepreneurs, Kayla Rathbun started her business from humble beginnings. Working from home and specializing in handmade paper roses, she started her shop on Etsy, an online marketplace where people buy and sell unique goods. In less than one year, she has made thousands of paper roses, with many orders coming from businesses, including one order for paper rose napkin rings for a nationwide UPS banquet in Atlanta, Georgia, in April. For the most part, though, she makes them for weddings and bouquets for brides—and this is where the expansion of her business will occur.
Joining the ranks of companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, and Walt Disney, Rathbun is ready to take her business from her garage and into a more prime location—the Chestnut Street District. The store, called “Something Blue,” will be a wedding boutique store selling new and second-hand wedding supplies. The store will also offer rental items, and of course, her paper roses. The “Something Blue” theme will carry throughout the store with departments arranged by name: “Something Old” for vintage and gently-used items, “Something New” for brand new items, and “Something Borrowed” with items for rent.
“I know that many brides, including myself last summer, have a terrible time trying to locate wedding items around Hays to purchase or rent at an affordable price,” said Rathbun. “I love the idea of working together with other local businesses to give brides ideas and make their wedding planning a bit easier.”
Rathbun plans to hold an official opening in late September or early October. Something Blue will be located at 1008 Main Street in Hays.