Stella’s Fine Market

Stella’s Fine Market

Beacon, New York

For years, Nikki Hayes dreamt of opening a shop full of carefully and locally curated products. Although she was deep into a successful career as a designer, she realized she could not run away from her entrepreneurial dreams. She kept pictures of the products she hoped to sell on her kitchen wall, eventually manifesting this dream and opening Stella’s Fine Market in Beacon, New York!

“I worked in packaging and design for ten straight years, but I was always thinking about my escape route in the background,” says Nikki.

Whether we pursue our dreams or not, they inevitably follow us everywhere we go– and as a creative, Nikki always found it difficult to “stay in one lane.” While working, Nikki dabbled in photography and selling housewarming closing gifts to realtors. And although these gifts were a success, Nikki wanted to create a scalable retail business.

“I considered culinary school but didn’t want to open a restaurant,” says Nikki. “When I was still working as a designer, I took a week off to work as an unpaid assistant food stylist for a cookbook photo shoot.”

The result? The a-ha moment Nikki needed to propel her small business journey. Nikki knew she loved cooking but didn’t know where to take her passion. So the idea of creating a super niche market felt perfect. Stella’s Fine Market is a small grocer offering everything from organic pasta to handy kitchen tools.

“Everything in the store is small batch and made with love and limited ingredients,” Nikki emphasizes. “When I was creating my business plan, I thought about how to set myself apart from others. Limited ingredients are important to me, and that was just one way.”

Located in Beacon, a town known for its excellent restaurants and cafes with quality ingredients, Stella’s Fine Market was bound to thrive. In addition to highly curated food goods, Stella’s offers products from local businesses in the Hudson Valley. So when you shop at Stella’s, you support Nikki and many other small business owners!

What else is cooking for Nikki and Stella’s Fine Market? As the business continues to grow, Nikki always plans ten steps ahead. Stella’s is not only a place to grab staple pantry items but also delicious non-alcoholic beverages. Not only that, but she takes the business one step further and offers a service that allows venues to rent out her ‘bar’ cart for people to enjoy a non-alcoholic drink at social events.

“It’s a very personal business,” says Nikki. “Stella’s is becoming a local shop people love coming to.”

If you’re reluctant to take the initiative and pursue your small business dreams, we hope Nikki’s story reassures you that it’s never too late to leap. We’re beyond proud to see how far Stella’s Fine Market has gone since opening in 2020 and are glad we could assist her with an SBA microloan.

“Fernando and the landlord immediately believed in my vision and business plan,” Nikki emphasizes. “I feel like we got so lucky.”

We can’t wait to see Nikki’s next idea for Stella’s Fine Market and encourage you to stop by Beacon, New York, to shop for some wholesome products. Check Stella’s Fine Market out here.