Stockbubble by Halley: Etsy Equestrian #13

Halley Widlak from Stockbubble, another creative Etsy Equestrian, is an eventer from Michigan who solved a riding wardrobe problem by becoming her own solution! When she could not find the exact hue of blue she wanted for a stock tie, Halley and her mom, both avid DIY-ers made one. The seed of an idea was planted that other riders would probably like custom colors or hard-to-find designs in stock ties too, so Halley started Stockbubble to fill a need in the marketplace. With almost 1,600 sales and a 5- star rating on Etsy, Stockbubble has been a success, even though it was slow going at first.

Read on to meet Halley, a fellow Thoroughbred lover, and find your perfect stock tie.

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Tell us about your Etsy shop Stockbubble.

A few years ago I heard you could wear any color stock tie you wanted, and for whatever reason this blew my mind. I searched for hours trying to find a specific shade of blue stock tie. I finally found a woman in the UK who made fun ones, but she said she didn’t have the color I wanted…and that’s when the light bulb came on.

I’ve always been a DIY-er. I usually make my own Christmas presents and my mom and I paint together, so we can be pretty crafty. My mom and I started working on making a stock tie one weekend, and a few hours later we had our first tie made! We’ve made a lot of improvements since then, but it’s still the same idea: a fun tie that you take 10 seconds to tie yourself for a perfect fit!

How did you choose the name, when did you start, how would you describe your niche?

My mom’s favorite thing to do is just start rattling off ideas even if they are bad ones because, “You gotta start somewhere.” She was in the office, I was in the kitchen, and we were screaming words that either had the word “stock” or “tie” in them. After a LOT of yelling back and forth I’m pretty sure she said, “Stock….bubble,” and I immediately screamed back, “THAT’S IT!!!” and Stockbubble was born. That was in 2015.

What’s the greatest challenge and joy you face in your equestrian life?

I finally made my pony dreams come true a few years ago when we bought our own farm and I was able to bring my two horses, Starscream and Galvatron, home.

Owning a farm is a crazy adventure filled with surprises everyday. It’s been a struggle to not get overwhelmed with all the things I want to do but I’ve learned to write my goals down and make sure to space them out over a few years! I’ve also learned a lot about horse care and barn management having them at home. My favorite thing is to run out to the barn late at night in my PJ’s and feed the ponies treats.

What do you do for work?

I work at the University of Michigan in Development. I work with our department’s budgets. It’s a wonderful job and I get to use my Economics and Management degree from Albion College!

Where do you live and what’s the horse scene like there?

I live in Grass Lake, Michigan and I’m lucky enough to be within 30 minutes of three, going on four USEA venues!

Whom do you regard as a hero or look to for inspiration in the horse world?

I’m low key obsessed with Elisa Wallace. I could watch her videos all day. I love that every time I watch her work with a horse, I feel like I’ve learned something that I can apply to my own horses. I also appreciate that she shares her highs and the lows of the support…because we all know there can be some really low lows. It just makes her so relatable…and human…and someone I can admire.

Do you have any horse-related bucket list items you’d like to cross off?

100% Ireland. I recently bought a Connemara pony and it’s lit this burning desire deep within me to go to Ireland and just ride little ponies all around. Maybe once COVID is gone.

How do your friends describe you?

My friends would say I’m kinda like a cross between the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland (just always going non stop) crossed with Amber Marshall from Heartland (so I’ve been told because I’ve still never seen an episode yet!).

What was your first year with Stockbubble like?

It would have been so easy to throw in the towel our first year. Sales were hardly a monthly occurrence, our social media wasn’t growing, and it took a lot of my time every day. The only thing I really knew was that I loved stock ties, I loved making stock ties, and I loved telling people about my stock ties. That passion for the product and connecting with people was really what propelled me through that first year.

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Remember to check out Halley’s Etsy shop Stockbubble and follow her on Instagram too!

ALL THE ETSY EQUESTRIANS

In case you missed them, here is a list of more women from the series The Etsy Equestrians. If you have a favorite horse-themed or equestrian-owned Etsy shop, let me know by leaving a comment here or email me at Susan@SaddleSeeksHorse.com. I’d love to feature more fellow horse lovers.

#12 Mindy of Equistrings

#11 Rosanna of Interest Candles

#10 Lindsey of The Preppi Pony Company

#9 Nia of Beautifully Beaded Halters

#8 Taryn of Warmbloods + Wine

#7 Liz of Liz Wiley Fine Art

#6 Kasia of Kasia Bukowska Art

#5 Erin Kate of Silver Oaks Farm

#4 Elaine of Bowdangles Horse Show Bows

#3 Carla of The Frugal Foxhunter

#2 Tracy of The Printable Pony

#1 Amanda of Bel Joeor Metier

Leave a Comment: Do you wear stock ties? What is your ideal color or pattern design? 

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