Today we’d like to introduce you to Lana Katsaros.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Lana. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Rich Hippies started as a booth at a craft fair in Brooklyn in 2013 and then transitioned into to brick and mortal shops in Nashville and lastly, an event compound in West Palm Beach launched in 2018. I design and distribute children’s clothing – mostly yoga gear. I recently published my first yoga deck for children “Yoga for Littles” on April 8th.
Happily Curated Chaos is our family journalism project where we are organizing articles, videos, and resources on full-time family travel. We officially launch in June when we depart on our world school and full-time travel adventure. After blogging about home improvement for nearly ten years, we reapplied home isn’t a place in particular and following the pull to travel the world was a more authentic topic for us to cover.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Leaving the corporate New York world was pretty difficult. The push came from very undesirable maternity leave, giving only the bare bones requirements with an expectation to come back to a greater role without the greater pay. I never went back.
My husband and I took a year to adapt to parenting and then Rich Hippies was born with little expectation. It was just baby yoga pants then. People responded to the brand and product, so we responded back with their wishes and needs. When we moved to Nashville, it was much easier to open a shop than in New York. Owning a shop was like glorified volunteer work. I met the most lovely friend, became part of an amazing community, was always busy – but was never going to touch my New York salary. It’s a touch gig wearing all the hats, all days. Somehow, it’s still worth it. After four years and my dad getting sick, I had to close it down and turn to wholesale and it was a hard thing to do, but untimely, I am very grateful I did. Being available 24/7 is really hard with a young child, a husband, and a sick dad – something had to give. What made the shop harder than wholesale is the daily unknown. You never knew what was going to happen and it hard to predict and plan.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Happily Curated Chaos/Rich Hippies – what should we know?
I am a new author, children’s clothing designer, compound owner + operator, and family travel journalists. I am really proud of our newly launched, Rich Hippies House (therichhippieshouse.com), where my husband and I renovated and designed every element. I am also a new author and am very excited about the release of “Yoga for Littles” which is a deck of yoga poses accompanied by a book of flows. I would say what sets me apart is that I have created a career path where I can flow through creative moments and make each day different. We can be in Bali filming one day, designing new yoga pants the next, or hosting an event at The Rich Hippies House the next. Being open to all possibilities and then cutting the fat every few months is how we keep doing what we love and not fall into being overwhelmed with “too much.”
What were you like growing up?
I loved hardcore, emo, and indie music! I was always at a show, or on tour with a band shooting. I was your typical South Florida alternative kid I guess you can say!
Pricing:
- Yoga for Littles is on sale for $11 on Amazon right now!
Contact Info:
- Website: therichhippieshouse.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @happilycuratedchaos
- Other: @richhippieshouse
Image Credit:
Family Photo: Kenneth Smith Photography, Home Photos: Shelby Coop Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
