Celebrating Power Moms: Local Mompreneurs Turned Dreams into Reality
This Mother’s Day, we honor 4 incredible women who balance motherhood and entrepreneurship with unwavering determination. In our local communities, a group of empowering moms have turned their passions into thriving businesses, proving that with hard work, resilience, and creativity, anything is possible. Join us as we celebrate their inspirations, challenges and successes in this special tribute to mothers who dared to dream big. – Elise trainor
Hip-Kid’s, Trisha Kallman, Chappaqua Momprenuer
Your Business
As my three boys grew older, I considered what it would take to open my own store and how such a venture would impact my life. I envisioned creating a vibrant retail space that not only offered beautifully curated clothing and gifts but also prioritized ethical manufacturing, and ways that brands give back. It was important to me that hip-kid would also feature our own unique in-store giving back initiative involving our community, with “The Giving Wall” and “Lemonade Stand…for a cause”, supporting various charities.
Your Inspiration
With three kids, I wanted to ensure I wasn’t working too far from home, given the demanding schedule of running a retail store. Initially, I hadn’t planned to carry toys, but when two local toy stores were closing, it felt like an opportunity. I am deeply grateful to the residents of Chappaqua and the surrounding towns for their unwavering loyalty. While there are more convenient ways to shop, they truly understand the importance of supporting local businesses.
Work/Family Challenges
This type of business doesn’t exactly allow for clocking out at the end of the day. Most evenings, I would spend working long hours at home after my kids were in bed. I’ve been fortunate to have an incredible team over the years, which has allowed me to be present for my kids’ activities, appointments and other important moments.
Mompreneur Rewards
Opening hip-kid has allowed me to meet so many incredible people. Many of my customers have become close friends, and some have even joined the team. The joy and energy that fill the store when customers walk in is such a rewarding experience. It’s also been truly fulfilling to have offered jobs and internships to individuals with disabilities over the years. This is something that is close to my heart.
I’m also so grateful for the trust my customers place in me when it comes to coordinating gifts both personal and corporate. It feels amazing every time someone comes in and refers to hip-kid as their “happy place” – I love hearing that!
Future Plans
We’re thrilled to be celebrating our 10th anniversary this summer! It’s been an incredible and fulfilling journey over the past decade. To mark this milestone, we’re refreshing our look with a new logo and website, making the online shopping experience even more seamless and enjoyable. As part of this update, we’ll be highlighting specifically how our brands give back, prioritize sustainability, use eco-friendly materials, and support ethical working environments. Every effort, big or small, makes a difference.
Sugar Hi’s, Elissa Weinhoff & Hilary Assael, Armonk Mompreneurs
Your Business
Sugar Hi is a destination sweet shop. We are a bakery, candy, ice cream and chocolate store. It’s a happy place for kids and adults! We also offer super fun kids’ birthday parties in our private party room.
Your Inspiration
My twin sister, Hillary, is a talented cake designer who was making cakes out of her home for 20 years. She wanted to take her cake business to the next level and open up a bakery in Armonk. I agreed to be her partner. I was a substitute teacher in Byram Hills at the time as well as a volunteer EMT at Armonk Fire Department. It took about a year of planning and we opened Sugar Hi in October 2017. It has been a hit since day one!
Work/Family Challenges
Our biggest challenge was the long hours we worked for the first few years. We were open seven days a week and we were there from open to close. At the time, our kids were in high school, and we didn’t see them much. It was especially difficult around holidays as we worked even longer hours. It has gotten much better since we have amazing employees whom we trust and work very hard. Holidays are still difficult because it’s all hands-on deck, but we are a well-oiled machine.
Retail, especially the food business, is notoriously a revolving door of employees, which is challenging. We invest a lot of time and money into training managers and our teenage employees with the hopes they will stay. Without a consistent staff, running the business can be difficult. Our excellent team makes all of the difference.
Mompreneur Rewards
The most rewarding part of being a mompreneur is how proud we are of our business. We have worked so hard and been great role models for our kids. We have shown them that hard work and determination pays off. Sugar Hi has been a family affair! All of our kids worked at Sugar Hi in high school. During the pandemic, our kids and husbands worked with us around the clock. That was a difficult but rewarding time. While most families were in lockdown, our family was making people happy with cakes and treats! We were busier than ever delivering birthday and anniversary cakes, cookies, balloons and gifts.
It is also rewarding owning a shop in the town you live in. We know so many people in our community, and they have supported our business since we opened. We love being a part of their happy occasions by providing them with their celebratory cakes. We really enjoy our customers and strive to give them a truly happy experience.
Future Plans
Great news! Sugar Hi Boca is opening in 2025! Our plan for the future is to open many locations because everyone needs a “Sugar Hi”!
Repose’s, Mary Breen, Pleasantville Mompreneur
Your Business
Repose began in NYC in 2019, pivoting to virtual care during the pandemic before finding a new home in Pleasantville in 2022. Our vision has always been to create a warm, intentional therapy practice attuned to our clients’ needs. We recently expanded back into NYC with a beautiful Union Square office and are now reimagining our somatic studio which was once fully virtual.
In Pleasantville, our boutique space at 351 Manville Road includes therapy rooms and an intimate studio for small-group movement and stationary practices. We specialize in therapeutic yoga – yin, nidra, restorative, breathwork, and sound baths – designed to regulate the nervous system and support emotional processing. As stress, anxiety, and isolation reach all-time highs, we’re honored to offer our community a space for true restoration.
Your Inspiration
Repose was born out of a deep desire to make somatic therapies the gold standard in mental health treatment. I’ve spent nearly two decades as a trauma therapist, but my deepest understanding has come from my own experiences. I know what it is to carry deep grief and to mistake the tension in my body for a sense of control.
The trauma-focused modalities that have shaped me – EMDR, Somatic Experiencing™, breathwork, and restorative yoga – changed the way I understood healing, both for myself and for the people I work with, which is why they’ve become the foundation of our work at Repose. These practices offer powerful pathways to transformation, but at its core, it has always been about helping people come home to themselves. It felt natural to bring something I value so deeply to the community that has given me so much.
Work/Family Challenges
Balancing the demands of running a business while showing up for my family and friends is no small feat! The emotional weight of holding space for clients, leading a team, and building something with integrity doesn’t just disappear at the end of the workday – I’ve had to learn, that I can’t pour from an empty cup. Creating structure, setting boundaries, and allowing myself the same care and restoration I offer to others isn’t just important – it’s necessary.
Mompreneur Rewards
It’s deeply fulfilling to show my children what it looks like to build something meaningful from the ground up. They see the dedication, the passion, and the challenges – but also the joy of creating something that truly helps people. The flexibility to be present for them while pursuing my calling is something I never take for granted.
Future Plans
We’re excited about expanding our somatic offerings beyond psychotherapy, deepening our presence in NYC and growing into Connecticut, where many of our therapists are licensed. We envision Repose continuing to evolve, where therapy and embodied practices come together in a way that feels natural, intuitive and transformative.
