My name is Story Camiccia, I am the founder and owner of Barre B, and at 21 years old I became the youngest gym owner in the country.
I grew up in Lakewood, Colorado, a small suburb of Southwest Denver. As the oldest of five children, I was raised to expect nothing and appreciate everything. We wore second-hand clothes, cut coupons, and packed our lunches. My mother is a remarkable woman who taught me from a young age to find joy in work, whether that be gardening, cleaning, music lessons, or school projects. It was always made clear that I was responsible for my own success. In a generation of coddled children, I was never praised for participation or trying my best.
‘’Success is earned. No one is entitled to a quality of life just because they want it.’’
At the end of the day, I am no more special than any other person in this world and, as harsh as that may sound, I am truly grateful for carrying this mindset into the real world of business.
My family and friends have always described me as “intense” and I can’t argue with them on that. Knowledge has always been very valuable to me and I take advantage of education anywhere I can. When presented with the opportunity to learn French and spend 3 months in West Africa, I took it. Spending that much time in a third world country at the impressionable age of 14 truly shaped how I viewed my place in this world. I wanted to help people in any way I could.
While other kids wanted to be doctors or singers when they grew up, I just wanted to be “the boss.”
It didn’t matter to me what I was the boss of, I just wanted to be in charge. I graduated at 16 with a drive but, like so many girls, struggled with eating disorders that doctors predicted would kill me before my 18th birthday. Although I had researched nutrition in the past, this was the first time I took my physical and mental health seriously. It was no mystery why I was numbing myself and trying to shrink my body into nothing. Things had happened in my childhood that were out of my control, but this was not one of them. I had a decision: Label myself a victim and fade away, or take responsibility and get out.
I started studying personal training and nutrition and was shocked how almost no attention was given to the mental and emotional aspects of fitness. There was little difference between me having Diet Coke for lunch before running on a treadmill for hours and an overweight person paying a monthly membership to a gym they’re too scared to visit and eating a tub of ice cream at the end of a stressful day at work. Both are unhealthy relationships with food and exercise- rooted in anxiety, depression, and coping mechanisms that are keeping people from living their best lives. I wanted to help women like me.
I moved to Kauai at 17 and found Barre. I couldn’t believe that an hour of such small movements was SO effective. I fell in love with the class and started teaching.
Flash-forward to Fall 2018. My husband and I were looking for a change of pace and decided on Southern Oregon. We arrived October 1st and I started looking for a job. The moment I realized there wasn’t a barre studio between Sacramento and Eugene, a nearly 500 mile gap, I knew I had to bring barre to the Rogue Valley. It had been a dream of mine to open my own studio but I had always come up with excuses as to why it was never the right time- I’m too young. I don’t have enough money. I haven’t been teaching for 20+ years like other studio owners.
And then one afternoon, it hit me. I’m not a dreamer.
I never have been. If I want to do something, I wake up and do it. So that’s exactly what I did. I started making phone calls on October 15th and opened Barre B on December 1st, just 6 weeks later. Everyone said I wouldn’t open on time. People who didn’t know me thought I was crazy. My friends and family, though, didn’t bat an eye, solidifying themselves as the most amazing support team a girl could ask for.
So far, we have gotten amazing responses from our members AKA- Barre Babes. Every day, the studio is filled with women supporting and encouraging each other to become their best selves.
I plan on expanding the studio to a second location in the next couple years and continuing to deliver high quality classes to our high quality community.
My advice to young entrepreneurs
My advice to young entrepreneurs is to #1 be adaptable. So many things went wrong in those 6 weeks before opening day and I had the choice to panic or simply change plans.
“You’re a woman with a brain and reasonable ability. Stop whining and find something to do.”
Xoxo- Story
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
So excited to hear about your new business. You truly are an inspiration. 🙂