Getting to know Desert Halo Designs!
Crafting Custom Hat Experiences, One Stitch at a Time
Dive into the story of Erin and Candice, childhood friends turned sisters-in-law, who found their calling in the hat-making business. Born out of a passion for quality craftsmanship and a desire to bring people together, Desert Halo Designs offers a unique mobile hat-making experience that's as stylish as it is fun.
Where did you grow up? Tell us about your family
We both grew up in a small town in southern California named Glendora. We met on a swim team when we were 4 and 6 years old. Fast forward, 25 years and Candice married Erin's brother and now we're family! Erin went to ASU and never left Arizona. Erin and her husband, Rick and their 2 girls, Addie & Ella (10 year old twins), have lived in Seville for 10 years. Candice and her husband, Trevor and their 2 kids, Chandler (6) and Everett (4), relocated to Arizona 3 years ago. The Risner's live in Bellamonte III and the Goulds live in Castillo I and we love that we live so close to each other and get to do life together!
Tell us about the events that led up to where you are now.
Erin graduated from ASU with her teaching credentials and went on to get her Masters in Education at GCU. She taught various grade levels in Elementary school in Mesa for 8 years until she had her baby girls. She has been on PTO at Riggs Elementary for the past 5 years and it has been the perfect way to still be involved with education volunteering her time.
Candice went to the University of Massachusetts on a softball scholarship and graduated with an accounting degree. After college, she went on to play for the Italian National team and professionally in Italy. After Italy, she started her 12 year career with lululemon until she had her son.
Now, we are both stay at home mom's that make hats!
What is your business, how/why did you start your business?
Desert Halo Designs LLC is a custom hat making business. We specialize in at home parties (think girls night, bachelorette parties, etc.) but we also do pop ups in boutiques as well as community events and charity events. We just recently launched into the retail space and are shipping our hats to boutiques nationwide.
This business started as a way to make Erin's shopping addiction more affordable! (kidding....not kidding!) A few years ago, she had the opportunity to make a custom hat in Park City, Utah and loved it so much she wanted one to go with every outfit.... She and Candice talked about how they could help other people get the same experience of making a quality custom hat at a lower cost and Desert Halo Designs was born.
What is unique about your business?
Unlike other hat bars, we are mobile and come to you. We pride ourselves on our quality of products and assortment of accessories. Not only that, but we are just REALLY fun! We love to have a good time and want to make sure your experience with us is a memorable one.
Given your business expertise and the nature of what you do, what advice can you offer to our neighbors?
One of the things we've learned when starting this journey is that it takes time to start a quality business the right way. We thought of this idea and were eager to get started right away, but in order to set ourselves up for success it took us a few months to get things going.
In the very beginning it's important to say "Yes" to everything! You never know the connections you will make and the people you will meet by putting yourself out there. Once you say yes to all the things, as you grow you will know what things better fit your business goals.
What else should we know about you, your family, or your business?
We are so grateful for the support of the Seville community! We honestly would not be where we are at today with our business if it weren't for the incredible people that live in this community and poured love and support into us. We have grown so much more than we expected in just under a year of being in business and we attribute that all to you! We want to shout out a HUGE thank you to all of the people who either hosted a party for us, came to support us at an event, or have been cheering us on via social media and helping spread the word. We are so appreciative and excited for what's to come!
Want your own Desert Halo hat or want to host a hat party?
Contact Candice/Erin:
Desert Halo Designs LLC
(480) 650-8846
Instagram @deserthalodesigns