ROCKTON—Alex Krahl likes the sound of alliteration.
That partly explains why she named her recently opened storefront in Rockton Home on Hayloft.
“My first home was on Hayloft in Roscoe,” she said.
Her first experience with selling her chosen items was in her living room in that home with help from her mother, Connie Davidson, she said.
After that, her enthusiasm for the business world and where and how to sell her wares, grew.
Currently, Krahl lives on a farm south of Rockton with her husband, Dan Krahl, and their two children. She and her husband with help from family, remodeled a rustic barn on their farm property and in June of 2020, began having seasonal sales in the structure. The barn sales include antiques and vintage items at 6349 Steward Road, Rockford, Krahl said.
Wanting to expand her passion, she made the decision to also open Home on Hayloft in September at 109 W. Main St. in downtown Rockton.
However, the shop items differ from the barn inventory.
“The downtown store is more of a boutique,” she said.
The shop offers unique selections of clothing such as sweaters, combination shirt/jackets, stocking caps, a little kids’ gift idea area, candles, home décor, coffee mugs and more.
Krahl’s parents own the building and she owns the business.
But she also is a full-time social studies teacher at Hononegah High School in Rockton, she said.
While Krahl does all the buying of the inventory, the shop is staffed with four part-time employees who handle the day-to-day sales.
“They are the biggest blessing. I couldn’t do it without them,” she said.
As for the risks associating with being a business owner, Krahl said she does have a significant advantage.
“Our biggest risk is the storefront, but we have no debt,” she said.
Also helping make the venture successful is the support she has gotten.
“You have to surround yourself with good people who are honest, support you and give you good feedback,” she said.
Krahl said she enjoys meeting people in the community and she has a positive relationship with the other business owners in Rockton. Krahl also sells some of her items at the Frosted Farmhouse shop, 124 S. Blackhawk Blvd., Rockton.
Of the overall experience she said: “How grateful I am to do this; it’s fun to offer the things I am passionate about to other people,” she said.
The store hours are Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m.—4 p.m. During the days before Christmas, however, the shop will be open until 6 p.m. on Wednesday and until 10 p.m. on Thursday.
