By MEG HERNDON | Staff Writer

CALERA – Home Boothe Co. is a home-based business that offers art classes, watercolor classes, online cooking classes, photography rentals and more. The business was started in December 2021 by Chelsea Boothe and has been received well by the public.

Boothe explained that the goal of Home Boothe Co. is for everyone’s home to be a wonderful safe haven for themselves, and she wants to make sure that everyone’s family is taken care of in a healthy and positive way.

“Our motto at Home Boothe is to create opportunities for a healthy home and room to grow,” Boothe said. “Home Boothe comes from a place of love and we want to help you be able to love your family and have a healthy life.”

A lot of the activities and classes that Home Boothe Co. offers are things that have affected Booth’s own home and lifestyle.

Boothe began watercolor painting as a hobby five years ago, and now, Home Boothe Co. works with other local shops to offer watercolor classes twice a month. Boothe also hosts an online cooking class three times a month.

The art classes are predominately child-focused, but Boothe noted that adults can participate and still have fun taking them as well.

Home Boothe Co. also occasionally has more adult-focused classes such as the upcoming Galantine’s day classes it is hosting on Saturday, Feb. 12 at Leaders’ Corner and on Sunday, Feb. 13 at Boho Tea Bar.

As for the cooking classes, Home Boothe Co. holds two 30 minute mini-classes and a longer hour-long class each month online. The longer classes are based around a gluten-free series that was inspired by Boothe’s own experience with having a gluten-free diet.

Boothe explained that being gluten-free can oftentimes feel isolating if you have no one around you who can relate.

“I want there to be community in this,” Boothe said. “It can feel really lonely to just go to a restaurant and see everyone else eating and you’re like, ‘I’m stumped. I have no idea. I’m going to eat a salad and be hungry.’ So I also want the classes to be a space where we can touch on our own personal reason for doing this… and have some support with that.”

Home Boothe Co. also offers professional photography wardrobe rentals as well as wardrobe consulting and styling which can be found on its website, Homebootheco.com.

Home Boothe Co. has quickly been welcomed into the community. Boothe explained that reaching out to local stores to host Home Boothe Co.’s classes has been very reflective of the community.

“All I’ve done is just go in and introduce myself, and they’ve just kind of welcomed me with open arms and helped me figure out the steps I need to take if I haven’t done them already and ideas that they would love me see bring into their stores,” Boothe said. “It’s been a really nice networking space for me.”

Boothe said that her husband and family have been incredibly supportive of her business endeavor.

“He has apparently seen this coming for a long time,” Boothe said. “He’s almost been waiting for me to realize that this is what (I) should be doing. So I’ve had a lot of support from our whole family, all of our friends. I think everyone’s been waiting for me to catch up on that I am good at some stuff and should share it with people.”

Boothe also explained what she hopes the future has to offer and some things she already has her sights set on.

She would love for there to be a brick-and-mortar location for Home Boothe Co. if possible.

“I love to support people, I love to get to know people,” Boothe said. “So, an easier way to do that would be to have a storefront and have a place that everyone could come to in our community.”

Another thing Boothe is passionate about is nonprofit work. She said that she would one day love to open her own nonprofit to help teach life skills to kids that they might have grown up missing out on.

“Helping kids to grow and learn is a big part of where my heart’s at,” Boothe said. “That’s what I love about being a mom, and so, I want to do that for other kids that might not have the same home life that we have, but be able to show them love and some life skills.”

That message is a common theme in Boothe’s life, as it is also reflective of what Home Boothe Co. hopes to achieve.

“That is the main goal of Home Boothe so that we can have children growing up knowing how to have healthy families, and to do creative things that are good for your soul,” Boothe said.

Home Boothe Co. can be found at @homebootheco on Facebook, @homeboothe, @homeboothecoart and @homeboothecorental on Instagram. Its website is Homebootheco.com.

Businesses interested in hosting a Home Boothe Co. class, can reach out through any of its social media, email Homebootheco@gmail.com or call 205-219-1383.