Aces of Trades: Beth Fox created a business around her 'favorite thing to do'
She left a job she loved to start her own business.
“I was kind of a tomboy. I was also super shy,” said Beth Fox. “My parents were both musicians and we spent a lot of time at the Palace Theatre. In fact, their first store, Del’s Music Studio, was located in the corner of the Palace where the box office is now located. My mom taught elementary music at Pleasant, and my dad was a piano tuner, an organ technician and he arranged music. We were always at concerts or practices, and I have lots of fond memories of the Palace since we spent a lot of time there for rehearsals.”
A various points in her life, Fox wanted to be a veterinarian, race car driver, teacher and high school choir director. She even thought she may work for an interior designer or be connected to an office job related to interior design.
"It’s my favorite thing to do," she said. "My youngest daughter told me she thinks I’m happiest when I decorate − and that I should try to make it my career. But being a shop owner was not anywhere in my mind. This was not part of my plan at all."
Today, Fox is the owner of Foxglove Hollow Home Décor.
“I wanted something that incorporated our last name, Fox. And I love flowers. A Foxglove is a flower − and the word Hollow is just very comforting, and cozy," she said.
The decision to make career change
Fox was born and raised in Marion, graduated from Harding High School in 1993, then went to Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky.
“I worked at Mac Tools, owned by Stanley Black and Decker, as the lead onboarding specialist,” she said. “I helped other people start their own businesses as a new franchise. I never thought that would be for me, but the more experience I got, the more I started to think about what I might do if I were to start my own business.”
She left her job to start Foxglove Hollow Home Decor at the end of last year, after spending a year researching what it would take to start a brick-and-mortar store.
"Once the lease on the space was signed, I was able to give myself a timeline of a realistic opening date, which was April 6," Fox said. "Starting something new has been both exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. But I’ve been lucky enough to have a mentor who has helped me to learn and has walked with me through this process.”
That mentor is Brigid Beaubien.
“Beth was very intentional when designing Foxglove Hollow,” Beaubien said. “She aimed to create a shop that would foster a sense of community through its warmth, graciousness and hospitality. The result is a beautiful space that exudes all these qualities.”
“My husband encouraged me to think about what kind of career I would love to get involved in,” Fox said. “I also felt it was important to set an example for our daughters that you can reach for your goals. I’m excited to see where it takes me next."
Foxglove Hollow Home Décor is located at 285 W. Center St., Marion. For more information, call 740-751-4602 or visit Facebook.
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at news@marionstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Beth Fox sees goal of owning décor business become reality in Marion
