06/18/2026
It’s funny what you ask for when you don’t know you’re asking for it.
I remember walking into Sugar Pop - a The Purple Wagon business in the West End Shops three years ago.
Karlee and I had connected on Instagram, and I finally got to meet her in person. Apparently, I must have said something about opening a retail shop in the future, but I can assure you it definitely wasn’t on my radar at the time.
Fast forward to today and that shop where Sugar Pop was located? Well. It’s actually the same little shop we opened Chilled Market: West End in.
I just got goosebumps typing that.
A year ago, retail was not in the plans for Chilled. I never wanted a storefront. Managing the inventory and staff hours felt too overwhelming and we had a good thing going with delivery and shipment.
Looking back now, I see the little nudges toward these shops that we’re now calling Chilled Markets - that interaction with Karlee in Sugar Pop, a note in my phone of brands I wanted to figure out how to sell through Chilled, side chats with my business friends about the “maybe someday” plans.
And now, here we are! Two dreamy locations and a brand new vision for what Chilled can become. Embracing the risk can feel big and scary when you’re a business owner.
But living the dream? Wow. It’s so worth it.
