Chamber honoree Farmhouse Frocks is more than simply retail sales
Making sales as a retail business is always a big deal to a company. However, Farmhouse Frocks has made their business making women feel good about themselves and building self-esteem through their sales, and that effort propelled the company to the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce's Small Business of the Year Award.
The 2017 Holmes County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau's annual meeting and awards banquet took place at Carlisle Inn in Walnut Creek on Thursday, Nov. 9, and the Small Business of the Year went to Farmhouse Frocks, a Millersburg-based business owned and operated by Lena Schlabach, who began the business when she recognized the dearth of quality women’s clothing stores in Millersburg.
“Lena wanted a wardrobe that made her feel beautiful, and she was tired of looking in her closet and choosing between three or four outfits that she considered to be both comfortable and stylish,” presenter Vic Weaver of Killbuck Savings Bank said. “She figured if she felt that way, surely other women did too, and Farmhouse Frocks was born.”
Farmhouse Frocks is stocked with a lineup of Bohemian-style women’s clothing that is stylish, comfortable and body-positive and is perfect for women of all shapes and sizes with much of it locally crafted by area seamstresses.
Schlabach utilized the slogan, “More faith than fear,” in taking the leap of faith in her new business, and it has prospered ever since. That slogan has become an inspiration for many women who enjoy all that Farmhouse Frocks presents.
More importantly Weaver said Schlabach and her daughters Felicia and Sydney empower women to be themselves and believe in who they are.
“Lena and her daughters empower women,” Weaver said. “They empower their customers to overcome insecurities and feel good about themselves. Each tag sewn into each garment reminds women, 'You are 100 percent beautiful, 100 percent unique, 100 percent worthy and 100 percent God-made.'”
“I couldn’t have made it this far if I didn’t make my decisions on faith instead of fear,” Schlabach said. “And these two girls that stand beside me have believed in me, encouraged me and prayed for me and made me look a lot better than I am.”
Having grown so rapidly in two years, Schlabach said she is a firm believer that setting goals, breaking them down and then going after them is crucial to any business’ success story.
She has done that with a passion. Her initial goal was to be on the cover of a fashion magazine, a goal the company fulfilled quickly. She has seen her business prosper, and she said her faith continues to be at the heart of their business.
“I always say, 'Don’t just talk about it, do it,'” Schlabach said of making and following through on goals. "A lot of people have daily journals. Do one thing toward your goal every day, and it will happen.”
She said the other blessing they have received through their business is that the many local women they employ to make their clothing are as much a part of their success story as anyone. She said those women are using their gifts and talents to enhance the lives of other women.
Felicia, 22, is the face of the business, always roaming the store’s showrooms to consult and chat with shoppers. Sydney serves as Lena’s personal assistant, and the family business continues to be a blessing.
“I am proud to say that my 22-year-old and 15-year-old could run my business today,” Schlabach said. “They are amazing individuals and have captured the vision I have had for the company.”