What started as a stay-at-home mom’s journey to reclaim her identity has transformed into Rebel Hart Co., a modern, bohemian-inspired, size-inclusive boutique in Spokane's North Monroe Business District.

“As a woman, when you go into motherhood, you kind of lose yourself a little bit. That’s the basis of how I ended up starting this business,” says Kodie Hartin, owner of Rebel Hart. “I wanted to make some extra money, and I wanted to just explore things that I could do from home that would be well-fitted with my lifestyle.”

While at home in 2018 with the first two of her five children, Hartin decided to go live on Facebook with a box of clothing she had bought from an online wholesaler. The success of that online event led to the creation of a Facebook group, which eventually evolved into a small boutique in Spokane Valley and then in downtown Spokane.

On Aug. 31, Rebel Hart expanded by moving to a new, larger location at 2218 N. Monroe. The 120-year-old converted house along Monroe was previously occupied by The Gilded Lily florist shop.

“My heart was kind of in the Garland area, being that it was so close to home, and I have a lot of memories,” says Hartin, who grew up fewer than 10 minutes from her new store. “The whole area between Garland and Monroe is growing a lot, and it’s really up and coming.”

Starting out online, Rebel Hart developed a devout following of customers drawn to Hartin’s merchandise and fashion expertise.

“I created a community of like-minded women who wanted to support and uplift each other,” she says.

The self-taught fashionista put the online business on hold for some time while going to school to become an emergency medical technician, working at a hospital, and then working as a 911 dispatcher for a few years, but eventually found her way back to Rebel Hart.

“I was then in a place where I could dedicate time to bring Rebel Hart back,” she says. “We went back online, started with the Facebook groups, and then I found an opportunity to rent a really small space inside of a salon out in the Valley.”

That low-risk opportunity, as she describes it, was a way to find out if she should go all-in with the boutique business.

After about a year, Rebel Hart outgrew the Valley site and moved into a roughly 400-square-foot space in downtown Spokane.

Last fall, Hartin added to Rebel Hart's reach by launching a mobile boutique out of a modified 1972 camper trailer that she takes to various events.

“Since launching the camper, we’ve experienced a lot of growth,” she says.

With that success, Hartin knew it was time to expand to the new location on Monroe.

The camper will continue to be used for events—Hartin has at least eight events scheduled this month.

Rebel Hart’s new brick-and-mortar location has nearly 1,000 square feet of retail space, some of which is occupied by what Hartin calls Spokane’s first trucker hat bar. Customers can choose patches, charms, chains, and other accessories to customize trucker hats or other styles of hats.

Rebel Hart offers clothes ranging in size from XS to XXXL and typically only buys two of each size of the items she sells, ensuring individuality for her customers.

“That was something that was really important to me, because a lot of the basis of my business is empowerment, inclusivity, individuality,” Hartin says. “The boutique industry in general, not even just in Spokane, it’s really tailored to an extra small to large clientele.”

The combination of modern and bohemian-inspired clothing creates versatility for Rebel Hart’s customers, Hartin explains.

“We work the angle of adding a bohemian vibe that is very versatile, and then we add a touch of modern so that you can dress up and dress down,” she says. “A lot of the pieces that you can purchase are pieces that don’t typically go out of style. We do hit some trends, but a lot of it is just very middle ground when it comes to being able to wear it now and wear it three years from now.”

Rebel Hart hits a wide range of price points, including a variety of affordable clothes and accessories.

The store has two employees so far, but Hartin is hoping to add one or two more eventually, she says.

Hartin set up a nursery and play space in one room for her kids and her employees’ kids for days that they don’t have child care lined up. She says the high cost of child care contributed to her decision to create that space.

Hartin says the kids’ room is about “being able to support moms through all phases of motherhood and letting them have their individuality, like I found with Rebel Hart, and be able to go to work, do something they love, bring their kid, be a part of a community.”

Rebel Hart is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

“We’re excited to grow with this community on Monroe, because it’s very up and coming, and we’re excited to change the way Spokane looks at fashion,” Hartin says.