By Cassie Kuhn, Decatur Daily
Two Decatur women mixed secret ingredients with pigment and water to make a few notes and their own line of curd lime that helped offset the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their regular businesses.
Ashley Ashwander and Lindsey Faulkner launched their Hopscotch chalk market in mid-April, when small businesses struggled to operate and children were stuck at home in search of quarantine-friendly activities.
“We’re making everything from it, right here in Decatur,” Ashwander said.
With the help of three part-time staff, Ashwander and Faulkner handle each stage of their process – from mixing ingredients to packaging – at The Albany, a downtown Decatur event venue owned by Ashwander.
They said at first, making chalk was a messy process that left them covered with glitter, “lime” that adorns their product and lime ingredients in every color of the rainbow.
“In the beginning, we had ingredients everywhere, and everywhere we packed peanuts, and tried to do everything in one space,” Ashwander said. ‘We have become much cleaner and neater.
‘In the beginning, we wore foreheads and we made a mess every time we made crayons. We got worse because we and a few other ladies obviously clean it every time. ”
In addition to Ashwander’s event, she and Faulkner both have retail stores in downtown Decatur. The couple moved their retail businesses from Bank Street to Second Avenue Southeast about a year ago, and now operate from a shared retail space. Ashwander, an event planner, owns The Paper Chase, and Faulkner, an interior designer, owns Old River Interiors.
Ashwander said loyal customers combined with options and delivery options enabled the pair to continue selling at their original businesses, even when the state-of-the-art Stay at Home order was first issued in March. However, COVID-19 concerns and statewide restrictions on group events brought the company to The Albany this spring.
“We had an open space to do something, and needed some way to hopefully earn money,” Ashwander said.
Ashwander and Faulkner decided to use the empty space in The Albany to launch Hopscotch. Faulkner said the duo had a list of business ideas, but eventually settled on the limelight side.
‘You could not get lime anywhere. It sold on all the websites, and it was $ 40 a box on Amazon for the Crayola sidewalk crayon, so we decided there was a chance there, “Faulkner said.
Faulkner said retail sales at The Paper Chase and Old River Interiors largely returned to pre-pandemic numbers, but the pandemic is still hurting Ashwander’s events for business plans.
Faulkner said Hopscotch stepped up so quickly that orders were initially sent out as soon as they were made. Now the couple has been able to stock their inventory as their business has expanded.
Faulkner said Hopscotch chalk is produced in three separate areas in The Albany, including the kitchen.
“We have one area where we actually make the chalk, and another area where we decorate the lime, and a third area where we pack,” Faulkner said.
“Kids are really attracted to them, and that’s been our whole goal,” Ashwander said. “We want it to be nice and neat and different, but at the same time still be a useful product that they enjoy.”
Like any sidewalk crayon, Hopscotch products can be used to create sidewalk art or, as the name implies, play outdoor games such as hopscotch – but Hopscotch hardly resembles typical sidewalk lime available at large retailers.
The colorful lime comes in a variety of shapes, including rainbow blocks, pencils, initials and toys. The washable chalk is fragrant with the signature Tutti Frutti scent of the brand and is adorned with biologically degraded glitter, the ‘lime’ and sprinkles.
Hopscotch chalk comes in a variety of chalk packs, including a “Back To School” chalk set and a “Brick Chalk Set.” One product is “chalk blisters” consisting of colored layers of chalk that create rainbow patterns as they drag across a sidewalk.
‘The fun part is how we evolved, and how we evolved together. We are really building each other down, ”said Ashwander.
The couple has plans to release new products in the coming months, including seasonal lime for Halloween, Christmas and other holidays. The holiday-themed crayon will have new scents of winter and cinnamon apples.
Hopscotch chalk products, which range in price from $ 9 to $ 12, are on sale at The Paper Chase and Old River Interiors, and online at livelovehopscotch.com. Ashwander and Faulkner also sell their products wholesale to companies in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisiana and Michigan, and plan to expand their wholesale distribution in the coming months.
