Photos: Chris Emeott
Six inspiring women turn their businesses into a change for good.
Women-owned, empowered and driven—the Six For Good team has opened its new location in Maple Grove. The store is made up of six different brands run by six different women: Urban Undercover, Hagen and Oats, Thumbs Cookies, Towel Topper, Essence One, and Baubles and Bobbies. The mission? To create a space that supports the greater good. As a driving force in Roseville’s Rosedale Center since 2019, the women are ready to inspire a new community.
“Maple Grove was a great fit for our mission because of how the city values small businesses,” says Lauren VanScoy, founder of Essence One. “We were immediately connected with other individuals from the city of Maple Grove, and we discussed how supportive the community is with all businesses in the area.”
Nikki Hollerich, co-founder of Hagen and Oats, says the expanding community provides their business with the opportunity to grow. “Maple Grove is booming, and it was really the perfect spot for our new location,” she says.
Prior to this adventure, the women supported each other at various locations across the Metro. “All of us would take our individual small businesses and set up pop-up shops at places, like Mall of America. In that environment, we could all really see each other’s brands and what we were all about. We all just connected through being in the small business world,” says Sairey Gernes, co-owner and founder of Urban Undercover.
When VanScoy was offered a physical location for her brand at Rosedale Center, she opened the opportunity to the other women she met along the way. “There was an immense amount of work that went into putting your brand up in pop-up shops and local shows. So, when I was offered this opportunity for a physical location, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it alone. All of the women that I asked [now Six For Good] to join me were strong, supportive and vocal,” she says. “There was nothing out there at the time that was representing local women as well as the philanthropic side of our company, so I just knew this combination of women would work.”
From there, Six For Good was born. “There is so much overhead and needs to be met with owning a store, but we all knew we could trust each other. We all knew we were driven by the passion for our brands,” Gernes says.
Through these opportunities, the women are closer than they could have ever imagined. “We’re so lucky to have six women business owners that care so deeply about their brands. It’s like our babies. We recognize that there are going to be a lot of ups and downs in this business, and it really could be a nightmare, but these women are a group of people you can really rely on. […] It’s grown into a lot more than just our business,” Gernes says.
The items featured in the shop are products of their personal passion projects–but what really makes them special is their philanthropic approach toward giving back to deep-rooted causes. Each brand donates a part of its proceeds to a partnered organization. “Doing good is literally what motivates this team,” Gernes says.
While the brands have their own philanthropic focus, Six For Good’s mission is to uplift women through the power of community, no matter their path in life. “We’re constantly evolving in our give-back to these organizations. But we really want to be a sign of goodness to this world, and, being six women business owners, we want to be an inspiration and help to other women—especially women in business,” Gernes says.
Supporting female entrepreneurs, VanScoy says their community-centered store, “showcases that, if you come together as women and as a community, you can accomplish so much more.”
Providing a space where individuals can thrive and succeed, the company also encourages its employees to sell their own products in the stores. “However we can help other women do good in the community is huge to us,” Gernes says.
The women of Six For Good are always looking for opportunities to better their surroundings. “I love the question on what can we bring to the community of Maple Grove because bringing goodness to a community is what’s most important to us and why we are excited to come to Maple Grove,” Gernes says. “Overall, we really want to figure out more ways on how we can help this community. We are looking into bringing networking events to our store, speakers and even just a fun happy hour to meet other people. We want to be an inspiration. We want to uplift other women’s voices, just like the Six For Good Team has done with one another.”
The Brands and Its Partnered Organizations
- Anna Hagen and Nikki Hollerich, founders of Hagen and Oats Outfront Minnesota: An organization that fights for LGBTQ equality and freedom.
- Lauren VanScoy, founder of Essence One Bring Change to Mind: A organization that raises awareness and changes the narrative of mental health.
- Ginger Neilon, founder of Baubles and Bobbies: Break Free, empowers survivors of sex trafficking and prostitution through safe housing, effective healing programs, survivor advocacy and worldwide policy change.
- Robyn Frank, founder of Thumbs Cookies Students Demand Action: An organization focused on gun violence.
- Sairey Gernes, founder of Urban Undercover Surfrider Foundation: an organization focused on cleaning up the ocean and beaches.
Six For Good
12241 Elm Creek Blvd. N.
Instagram: @sixforgood
