The 570 Blog Showcase - Featuring Hanna Stover / Momoyo Otsu / Lock Haven, PA
Located in the heart of downtown Lock Haven, Momoyo Otsu is one of the hottest businesses in the area. Momoyo Otsu is a woman’s fashion boutique where you can find anything from quality clothing, to fashionable jewelry, and even a handbag to complete the look. Starting in late 2018, owner Hanna Stover has developed her passion from a hobby into a business dream come true.
To see Lock Haven growing as a community during a time of pandemic is truly amazing. Especially with new business owners Hanna and Jordan Stover of Momoyo Otsu. I was able to meet Hanna through the Downtown Lock Haven Inc. Merchants and she has been supportive of Mod570 since the beginning, along with the others on the committee. She was one of the first business owners that offered me help with my marketing and promoting of my brand in town. I am happy to introduce you to Momoyo Otsu. Located on Main Street in Downtown Lock Haven. - Arden
Momoyo Otsu / Hanna Stover
Hey Everyone!
My name is Hanna Stover and I am the owner of Momoyo Otsu! I was born and raised in Lock Haven, PA. I’m married to my amazing husband Jordan Stover and we have 3 incredible dogs! Momoyo Otsu is named in loving memory of my Japanese grandmother. In our logo you will see a peach. Momoyo in Japanese means peach which was my grandmothers nickname “Peachy”. My Grandmother had a heart of gold and I wanted to bring that same love she would spread into our business. Momoyo Otsu is a woman’s fashion boutique where you can find anything from quality clothing, to fashionable jewelry, and even a cute handbag to complete the look!
We started online 2 years ago on 12/1/18. I was working full time at a boutique in Downtown Lock Haven at the time. I ran Momoyo Otsu part time online. In May of 2020 I lost my job at the boutique due to the business shutting down. My husband and I thought long and hard about what I was going to do. I had worked at the boutique for over nine years. We had many saying “You should open your own store.” My husband and I decided in June to take a leap of faith and go after my dreams when our dream location opened up in Downtown Lock Haven. We completely renovated our spot for 6 months with the amazing help of family, and our best friends Alyssa and Dylan. Prior to us a business had been in that location for close to 40 years. My husband was thrilled when he took the drop ceiling down to find the original tin ceiling above it. We officially opened our brick and mortar location on 11/13/20.
It’s an amazing feeling to run your own business. It’s definitely a lot of hours and work but if you’re doing something you love it’s so worth it. I see so many talents in many Individuals and I often think...”They need to start up their own business using those talents”. The hard work that goes into a business is worth it if you truly love it. If you truly love it then it doesn’t even feel like work.
One thing I know now that I wish I would have when I started is to slow down and enjoy these moments. It sounds so cliche but time goes so fast when you own a business. There is so much work that goes into it. Sometimes my husband and I joke that we’re at our shop more than our home and I believe that’s true. I look back at photos of the renovations of our shop, to the grand opening, to the current things going on within the shop and it’s emotional because life goes by in the blink of an eye. With everything being so fast paced I have learned to take moments and look around and just enjoy the journey.
I always tell people who reach out to me about wanting to start a business, just go for it! If I had one thing to do over it would have been to do it sooner. Life’s too short to not follow our dreams. You will always have hesitations but don’t let those hold you back. My favorite quote “What if I fail? Oh but my darling what if you fly?” Follow those dreams and spread your wings and fly. I can’t promise it will always be easy but I can promise it will be worth it because you’re living YOUR dream!
Our business has adjusted well to the pandemic. We make sure all our clients are safe and feel safe. That’s our biggest goal. I think community support plays a huge role in this. We have an army of a community that stands behind small businesses. It’s incredible and humbling to know how many members of the community don’t forget to “Shop Small”. With this amazing community I truly believe they are the ones to thank for helping small businesses in this difficult time.
There was no question in my mind as to the location I wanted Momoyo Otsu to be in. After growing up in Lock Haven and working in Downtown Lock Haven for over 9 years I fell in love with the charm of this historic town. The 570 has so much to offer. When Jordan (my husband) and I took this project on in June we said from day one, “Wouldn’t it be amazing to get the town back to what it use to be?” We hear incredible stories of how the town was full of happy shoppers. Downtown Lock Haven was FILLED with amazing shops for everyone. In June all we knew was we had a dream, and a vision. We saw the potential in this fantastic town. There were already AWESOME stores in the Downtown Lock Haven (some that have been here for years). We prayed others would open businesses in Downtown Lock Haven also, which they did!! We’ve been so excited to see the way Lock Haven is moving. I hear so many people say “This is how it was when I was a kid”. It makes my heart so happy to see! I know we are in tough times, however we truly believe we will all come out stronger from this. What an amazing community we live in at the 570.
Visit Momoyo Otsu in Downtown Lock Haven, PA today!
Follow Momoyo Otsu on social media:
www.facebook.com/Momoyo-Otsu-345722249515896