When Hillfolk co-founder Bea Apple was just a girl, she taught herself to crochet. With a single ball of yarn and a crochet hook, she would spend her days at her local library, keeping her hands moving in an attempt to fight off her youthful boredom. She says she always wanted to do visual art on some level, but the weight of expectations guided her to a more practical path as an electrical engineer.
Apple earned her electrical engineering degree from John Brown University, working at a Fayetteville yard store during her studies. She stuck with engineering for fifteen years before pursuing restaurant ownership.
She opened the Pressroom in Downtown Bentonville, a community hub where people could gather for coffee, food, and drinks. After four years, Apple sold the Pressroom to Ropeswing Group and has since had a hand in opening other local hot spots like The Record, Sunny’s, and The Preacher’s Son.
Engineering and hospitality may seem far removed from a fiber arts store, but Apple says, “Everything you do from a young age is never a waste. It comes down to how you make sense of it. How can you alchemize pain and joy into a path for yourself?”
With every experience, Apple was clearing a path for Hillfolk. She learned that she enjoyed fostering community spaces and creating with her hands. She also learned that Bentonville needed a space for smaller business owners. With those intentions, Apple found herself playing a key role in the development of Bentonville's 8th Street Marketplace.
While working on this project, it felt like the right time to open a small craft studio and retail shop inspired by the creative passion she’d clung to since childhood. Alongside friend Trisha Logan, she opened Hillfolk at 8th Street Marketplace, a store that cultivates creativity and provides a place – a home – for makers to learn fiber arts.
In addition to selling supplies for craft enthusiasts, Hillfolk also promotes area artists, selling their goods on consignment. Apple also curates regular classes at Hillfolk for the craft curious. Every Sunday, she hosts a different craft workshop, like crochet for beginners or botanical dying bandanas.
In 2024, Apple and Logan achieved a special milestone for their Hillfolk brand, launching affordable craft kits for fiber arts fans. Their kits include various crochet, macrame, bargello, and felt projects, and are available for purchase at Walmart.com.
By shopping at Hillfolk and joining one of Apple’s workshops, you’re affirming the creative dreams of a little girl with little more than a ball of yarn and a library card. You're supporting a small business and encouraging local artists. You're helping to grow Bentonville’s maker community.
“Hillfolk is my love letter to the community. I wanted to create a makerspace for people like me who want to learn how to craft – somewhere they’ll have support.”