23 years of creating happiness.

Hi, my name is Linda, and I have owned and operated The Happy Woman store since 2000. Our original storefront was in Pentwater, Michigan but our home for the last 15 plus years has been in Suttons Bay.

I always wanted to own my own shop and daydreamed about it constantly during the many years that I worked as a systems analyst. One day, with the help of my husband, I actually did something about it.

My first storefront was the shed of an old hardware store with no heat, no air conditioning and no bathroom. I fell in love at first sight. Our current storefront was, in a previous life, the room of an old farmhouse. I’ve always been a fan of small spaces: the original store was 384 sq ft and this one is 650. And guess what? We’ve got a bathroom.

The store is in many ways a reflection of the evolution of my life. As I’ve grown, so has my store. As I’ve changed, so has the selection of products in the store. I still only buy what I love and, for over 20 years, I have worked with smaller makers to find unique, unusual finds. We work with mostly makers that are female owned and are big fans of free trade companies as those most often benefit women.

I’ve grown to know that happiness is an inside job and no “thing” is going to make you happy, but I’ve also learned that “things” can create confidence, can inspire, can ease suffering, can create joy and thoughtfulness. Those are always uppermost in my mind when searching for new products to stock.

Thanks for visiting! We hope you can visit our store in person in Suttons Bay. We are located at 309 St Josephs Ave in downtown Suttons Bay, Michigan. Our shop in Suttons Bay is open from April - December.