Meno

Like many entrepreneurs, Jerri Hobdy does not have a business background. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts and years of experience in furniture design, she has taken a more creative journey to starting her business. Leveraging her passion and expertise, Jerri has created Meno, a sustainable furniture store, and will celebrate the grand opening of her showroom in Denver on May 16^th.

Designing for major furniture brands since 2013, Jerri has been afforded a unique perspective into the industry, recognizing outdated processes that could be altered for a more sustainable operation, and over the span of many years developed a business to address the issues she was witnessing. Meno is a Greek word describing a symbiotic relationship and is the ethos for Jerri’s business focused on a circular business model. Setting Meno apart from other furniture stores is the commitment to reducing waste, championing climate friendly materials, and lowering the carbon footprint of logistics.

Meno is positioned as a meeting place of meaningful sustainability and appealing design. Jerri describes her motivation saying, “My goal is to not only do things differently but to actually show the industry a fresh business model and approach that can be profitable, all while being transparent for the customers.”

The road getting here has been filled with challenges, namely barriers to accessing traditional lending capital, but through her resilience, patience, and creativity, Jerri has taken advantage of other resources available to build her business acumen and confidence. Prior to COVID-19, Jerri participated in SBDC workshops and the Leading Edge course to gain a stronger business framework. Through the SBDC’s support, Jerri was able to deepen her understanding of core business concepts and strengthen her positioning as a business owner. Jerri describes how helpful it was to have a safe space to learn and ask questions, setting her up with a strong foundation for her business.

Jerri’s advice to other entrepreneurs is to start building your network and talking about what you are creating. She encourages saying, “the more you talk about your product the more succinct your pitch becomes and the easier it is to communicate ideas to others.” She also describes the benefit small business owners have in their ability to act nimbly and to benefit from the problem solving that naturally comes with a more “patchwork” process.

Starting May 16^th customers can visit Meno’s showroom in downtown Denver on 18^th and Blake in the Free Market building. The showroom features handpicked vintage furniture as well as Meno’s hand-poured home fragrance line for a hyper-local shopping experience. Shop online and learn more at menohome.com or on Instagram at meno.home.c

https://www.instagram.com/meno.home/
1801 Blake St. Denver, CO 80202
Jerri Hobdy
https://www.menohome.com/

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