Meet Heather Powell | Boutique Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Powell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
I love this question because it brings me happiness even writing about it! For many years I was deeply unhappy with my corporate job and found myself in a very dark mental space. I knew this wasn’t the right path for me and that I had to do something about it. I had a deep desire to start my own business in order to have the creative freedom and flexibility. Personally I thrive on versatility and could not go one more day doing the exact same thing. So, I made the leap, the leap into entrepreneurship.

In starting my own business I had the ability to create an environment and job description that fit my personality, a job that brought me happiness each day. I found when you have the ability to do work that you love, it fills your cup instead of drains it.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Cargo Room started out in 2014 inside of a 12ft. concession cargo trailer and primarily attended weekend street festivals and events. We also would collaborations with other small businesses in the metro, such as setting up outside of coffee shops and salons. Our business functioned mainly on weekends for the first few years of operation. This worked in the beginning as we built up our customer base and found our footing in our small business community.

After several years traveling with our trailer I wanted to put down more permanent roots for our business. We moved into a 900-sf carriage house in which we would utilize as a Showroom/ office during the week. This set up worked for the business for a few years, but we soon realized that due to the location of the carriage house we saw little to no foot traffic and the business wasn’t growing. Therefore, when the opportunity arose for us to shut down this location and move into a more heavily trafficked areas surrounded by other local businesses, it was essential that we do this. The new location was actually a 320 SF pink shipping container! Not only did the proper location propel our business forward, it matched who we were as a brand.

As of today our business has transformed once again as we split our main product categories into two separate locations: Precious Cargo by Cargo Room, our baby boutique which now occupies the converted pink shipping container, and Cargo Room, our women’s boutique, which is just around the corner from the pink container.

Where our business is today is far different then where we started out. I always get asked by young entrepreneurs if we had a business plan and the answer is yes, however, I always advise young entrepreneurs to think of a business plan as a living document, meaning it will grow and adjust as you continuously build your business. Cargo Room’s business plans have been altered many times over the years, but I do think it was vital in the beginning in order to help develop action plans and to fully understand the market/demographics that you plan to serve.

I am proud to say that this year we will be celebrating 10 years in business! The past ten years of entrepreneurship have definitely not been easy, but I consider tenacity as my most valuable asset. It would have been much easier to give up and walk away, but my drive to continuously push forward regardless of the circumstances was what has allowed us to stay open over the years.

Being an entrepreneur can be tough, but it is very rewarding as well. Stay the course when things get rough, never throw in the towel. You’ve got this!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oklahoma City is a very exciting place to be right now. We have a thriving small business community, amazing local eateries, and a vibrant local art scene. As locals, we pride ourselves in showing visitors a side of Oklahoma City that they would never expect!

If art is your passion, I would recommend visiting places such as Factory Obscura (an immersive art exhibit), Oklahoma Contemporary, The Oklahoma City Museum of Art, visiting the art galleries in the Paseo District, or the getting lost behind the Plaza Walls (rotating mural projects by local artists).

We also have plenty of great local shopping inside the city center, check out all the shops in the Plaza, Paseo, Midtown, and Auto Alley (where our shop is) districts or go a little north for more shopping inside Classen Curve, or Nichols Hills Plaza.

For the foodies, we have so many delicious options its hard to narrow down to just a few, but to name some recent favorites visit The Harvey Bakery and Kitchen, El Coyote, Frida Southwest, or Cafe Kacao.

For the sweet tooth, you can never go wrong with KatieBugs a sweet shop, packed full of cakes, cookies, and hands down the best hot chocolate, or Roxy’s for amazing ice cream of all flavors.

For the Outdoor adventurous I would highly recommend Riversport Adventure Park, hire a sailboat tour on Lake Hefner, listen to live music in Scissortail Park, or wander around the Botanical Gardens.

For the sports enthusiast, attend a Thunder game or cheer on the Oklahoma City Dodgers.

And last but not least, some fun for the kiddos, visit the Oklahoma City Zoo and their new Expedition Africa Exhibit and while you are there you can hope next door to the Oklahoma Science Museum which is fun for all ages.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family have always been my biggest cheerleaders. They have supported me throughout my entire journey. They have always been my constant in this unpredictable world of entrepreneurship.

Website: https://shopcargoroom.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopcargoroom/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShopCargoRoom

Image Credits
Meg Rose Photography