Michigan businesses owned by mothers are creating a legacy beyond profit

Owner Jessica Hill poses for a photograph at OMONI BOUTIQUE in Uptown Bay City, Mich. on Thursday, April 24, 2025.

Mallory Vredeveld, 38, has the words, “What is Legacy?” written and displayed in her bathroom, and she and her sister Maddison Husted, 36, think of these words when considering what they’d like to pass on to their kids.

Customers are helped at The Five Forks, 1194 N. West Ave., on Friday, April 25, 2025.

Through their business, The Five Forks Bakery, 1194 N. West Ave., in Jackson, they hope to teach their kids not only how to bake cookies or count change, but life lessons about matters like setting boundaries and being confident.

This is especially important when navigating being a female and mother entrepreneur.

“There are going to be bad days, there’s somebody who doesn’t like the cupcakes and that’s OK,” Vredeveld said.

On this Mother’s Day, Vredeveld, Husted and several other women business owners across Michigan shared their stories, about motherhood and managing an enterprise.

The Five Forks

The Five Forks was born out of COVID-19 when Vredeveld and Husted were either laid off or left their jobs.

Cupcakes are decorated at The Five Forks as co-owners Maddison Husted, left, and Mallory Vredeveld work together at the bakery business at 1194 N. West Ave. on Friday, April 25, 2025.

Baking has always been a passion for Husted, and she asked Vredeveld if she wanted to bake cakes to make extra money.

They started in 2020, and family is a major part of the business.

Vredeveld has three children — Mia, 10; Eloise, 8; and Elliot, 5. Husted has two, 8-year-old Thea and Posey, 4.

The name “The Five Forks” is a nod to their five sons and daughters. A mural inside the building features their kids’ initials.

The two initially started out of their homes. It could be challenging baking with kids underfoot, and they would have to bake at night, Husted said.

Opening their storefront two years ago after their kids returned to school presented its own challenges, they said. Being young women and new to the small business world, others took advantage of them at times, they said.

A view inside OMONI BOUTIQUE in Uptown Bay City, Mich. on Thursday, April 24, 2025.

“We just assumed everyone wanted to help, and those are some hard lessons we definitely learned that we know a lot of male-owned businesses don’t often have to deal with,” Husted said.

Now, they always receive a second opinion and reach out to other female business owners for input, she said.

As the business grew, the two had to adjust their priorities. They had to make sacrifices.

They shortened their hours on Saturday and closed on Mondays to spend more time at home.

Customers sometimes give them grief, Vredeveld said, but they tell their daughters it is OK to set boundaries, Husted said.

“As important as sales are, it wasn’t worth the changes that were happening at home that were not as positive or just noticing that they were missing us too much,” Vredeveld said.

Bakery decorations on the wall at The Five Forks, 1194 N. West Ave., on Friday, April 25, 2025.

Husted and Vredeveld enjoy teaching their kids customer service skills. They are Five Forks’ biggest marketers, Vredeveld said.

“Mia came home the other day, and her teacher was getting ready to order some treats for her daughter’s birthday,” Vredeveld laughed. “I didn’t even get to the email that came through, but Mia was excited to tell me that, ‘Oh, my teacher’s going to order treats.’”

They aim to instill in their children, especially their daughters, that the pressure on women and mothers to do everything all the time is unrealistic. Vredeveld encourages other women starting businesses to rely on partners, like her husband, and ask for help

Owner Jessica Hill poses for a photograph at OMONI BOUTIQUE in Uptown Bay City, Mich. on Thursday, April 24, 2025.

“It’s easy to lose yourself in motherhood and owning a business,” Vredeveld said.

Tweed Baby Outfitters

Maggie Kleinheksel does most of her day-to-day mom duties at her business, Tweed Baby Outfitters, 208 College Ave., in Holland.

The Five Forks co-owners Maddison Husted, right, and Mallory Vredeveld pose at the bakery business at 1194 N. West Ave. on Friday, April 25, 2025.

As the sole owner, it takes a village, from her employees and family to babysitters and daycare. Her four children have often been at the shop, especially in the early years.

“Tweed Baby Outfitters is a very public job, even with a lot of the work being done behind the scenes,” Kleinheksel said. “Work comes with challenges, and being a mom has its challenges. Put the two together, and some days it is a big challenge to keep choosing to do both at once.”

Raised in Ohio, she said she moved to Holland with her husband in 2015, five years after opening up her first Tweed Baby Outfitters storefront in Nashville, Tennessee.

Those first few years brought many friendships and lessons, as well as the couple’s first baby.

“She came with me to work each day, and spent her first year-and-a-half crawling, then walking around the shop,” Kleinheksel said of her now 11-year-old.

She closed the first location when they moved to Michigan and opened the downtown Holland space at 208 College Ave. in spring 2019.

By then, she had her second and third babies, and like before, they came with her to the Holland shop each day.

Owner Jessica Hill poses for a photograph at OMONI BOUTIQUE in Uptown Bay City, Mich. on Thursday, April 24, 2025.

During the school year on weekends, her kids hang out at the store watching movies and asking for snacks since her husband works most Saturdays. When Tweed is busy, she picks up dinner and takes the kids to the shop to catch up on work before the next day.

But the day rarely goes as planned, Kleinheksel said.

“I began with typical shop hours, but quickly found that, unlike my first shop, I had become more of a mother than a shopkeeper,” she said.

She tweaked Tweed Baby Outfitters’ limited hours to 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Kleinheksel hasn’t regretted it. She can pick up her kids from school and spend time with them before the day ends.

“I know many people don’t like the hours, but a bigger crowd — the one that makes up Tweed’s customers — support my business model of putting my time with my kids first,” she said. “By bringing my babies-now-kids with me to work, I am sure customers have seen it all, for better or worse.”

Omoni Boutique

Jessica Hill, 42, grew up in Saginaw Township but was born in South Korea. Her mother Jackie Klein adopted her when she was 5 years old and living in an orphanage, and Klein moved her to the United States.

As a kid, Hill always was interested in fashion. She felt different from others and wanted to fit in. A big part was having the same clothes as everyone, specifically a Charlotte Hornets starter jacket, she said.

While her mom never shared Hill’s interest in fashion, she emphasized the importance of having high-quality items by taking her shopping at Jacobson’s, the now-closed, Jackson-based department store chain. This inspired Hill to open her boutique, Omoni, pronounced “oh-muh-knee,” which is Korean for mother, after Klein, who died in 2015.

Cupcakes are decorated at The Five Forks as co-owners Maddison Husted, left, and Mallory Vredeveld work together at the bakery business at 1194 N. West Ave. on Friday, April 25, 2025.

“My goal was to find the pieces that are really good quality, but they don’t break the bank,” Hill said.

The business opened in 2016. In 2019, it consolidated into its current location at 130 Uptown Drive in Bay City. Hill is the mom of 10-year-old Statham and 2-year-old Liliana.

The Five Forks co-owners Maddison Husted, left, and Mallory Vredeveld pose at the bakery business at 1194 N. West Ave. on Friday, April 25, 2025.

To Hill, she has an advantage over men when it comes to working in the clothing industry, because she knows what other women want to wear. She said she can tell when a women’s clothing company is owned by a man, because the items have a more “sexual focus.”

Instead, she likes to find classy and sophisticated clothes that make her shoppers feel confident.

A couple weeks ago, Hill helped a woman find something to match her husband’s brown suit. They knew right away which outfit they wanted to try, and when she walked out of the fitting room, she was gliding, she said.

“In my opinion that’s the best thing,” Hill said. “They’re happy, we’re happy and they feel good. I just feel like they need that.”

Running the business as a mother can have its unique challenges, especially when they must come to the store with her, she said. Her son often gets bored, but Hill said it’s cute when her daughter tries on sunglasses or pretends the fitting rooms are a house.

When it comes to figuring out what to prioritize between her personal and professional life, she likes to keep an open and honest conversation with her kids, especially her son.

“There are times where I ask Statham, ‘How do you feel if I miss this game?’” Hill said. “If he says he wants me there, then I make it a priority to be there. If I can’t then I’ll sit and talk with him.”

She’s passionate about her kids and business, she said. When her daughter reaches a certain age, she hopes she can teach her the values of hard work, she said.

“Nothing comes to you without hard work,” Hill said.

EV Road to Revitalize LLC

Adorned with emerald green velvet high-top chairs, marble and gold accents and a wall full of fresh microgreens, Shardaira Jones’ juice bar is a luxury experience.

Jones, 37, opened REV Road to Revitalize LLC, 125 Ottawa Ave., last October in downtown Grand Rapids because she’s passionate about promoting health and wellness, which she practices daily with her children.

“What you learn as an entrepreneur is you’re busy – a very, very busy person,” she said. “So, including the kiddos on things, like bringing them in and teaching them what you’re passionate about, has been important to me.”

People like her late grandmother, Mable Lean Jones, supportive through every business venture. inspire her to stay productive.

Upon entering REV, customers are met with a large mural of Mable, a daily reminder to keep going.

“She mothered everyone, and it was never anything that she would make you uncomfortable about,” she said. “Because of that open-door policy my grandmother had, I’ve always felt inspired to take care of others, maybe nurturing them through fresh-pressed juices.”

Although she runs a tight ship at home, Jones said each of her children feels love and openness.

Her oldest son Nae’Sean helps with REV, and she wants to ensure he understands what happens behind the scenes.

This means preparing fruit and meeting with suppliers at the juice bar or helping with the launch of Jones’ other business, Blisstivities Luxury Sauna Experience in Jenison.

As a Black woman, she said she hopes to empower other minority entrepreneurs and visionaries to keep growing.

“Having children while running a business can be overwhelming, Jones said, and she is learning to rest.

“But it’s also beautiful because you get to show that life comes with a lot of different scenarios and ups and downs, but also the work to keep the longevity of those things and feeling like it doesn’t stop there,” Jones said. “The work is just now starting.”

Sometimes, she may not be as available as they’d prefer because she’s busy creating a future for them.

Her children are her babies, and they come first. “But (my business) is also my baby, so to speak. Something that has to be nurtured and taken care of properly till you feel comfortable to let it run.”