Oh Hello Friend | Orange County

have you guys heard of oh hello friend the cute and craft blog of danni hong? she recently opened up her very own brick and mortar store in orange county! you can find an assortment of great gift ideas and vintage finds at very reasonable prices. i got the chance to ask danni some questions about the store and her blog, her is what she had to say!

can you describe the process of starting oh hello friend, what were you doing before you started?
starting oh, hello friend was a slow process and has been a labor of love. this year actually marks the 5th year we’ve been in business. i was working as a graphic designer when i started the blog and etsy shop.studying graphic design in college really helped in starting my own business since i could do all the design myself.

how did you expand from having an online shop to your very own brick and mortar?
we started selling at craft shows shortly after i started my shop on etsy. we did our first craft show in 2009. people have always asked us if we owned a shop. last year, we decided it was time to open a retaillocation and our shop opened in february 2013! our online presence is still very helpful and people who don’t live in the area still support us by ordering online.

what can people expect to find at your brick and mortar that they might not find in your online shop?
if you’re looking for a unique or fun gift – our brick and mortar shop is your place! we stock a wide selection of greeting cards for all occasions, lots of great things to wrap your gift up, pretty party supplies, jewelry, clothing, and vintage inspired home goods.

what role, if any, did your blogs success play into building your own brick and mortar?
the blog has always been a huge part of our life and our goals – whenever we are thinking of doing something i put it out there and get so much encouragement and feedback. (like when we were thinking about buying a house and even before we opened a shop) through the blog, we announced we were opening a store and received so much support – we had about 200-300 people show up at our grand opening, it was so crazy! i had no idea the turnout would be like that.

what is the most important thing you’ve learned since you’ve started your own business?
don’t be afraid to go for your dreams! it sounds cliché but i remember the days when opening a store was such a crazy idea and we had no idea how it would turn out or what kind of sales we’d make. now that we’ve done it, we know what it’s like and we have the experience of owning a shop and learning new things is always a good thing 🙂 also, stay true to yourself.

your favorite moment so far?
my favorite moment would have to be the grand opening of our shop. to have the dream of opening a store finally come true – there was so much support and love that day, i felt so fortunate and undeserving! all these people were there to support oh hello friend and we were so humbled