Prairie Portrait: Beka Doolittle of The Pink Store

Silicon Prairie News: For those who aren’t familiar with The Pink Store’s origins, what’s the story behind the business? | Beka Doolittle: I was living in a house with our three teenage boys and my hubby when the idea for The Pink Store came to me. I knew I wasn’t the only one who loves…

Name: Beka Doolittle

Bio: Being an entrepreneur and a full-time mom, I consider myself the queen of multi-tasking and would be bored with only one thing at a time. (Think potty training and tweeting simultaneously!) I love to bake homemade cookies for my family, go dancing and meet new people.

Title: Owner of The Pink Store LLC aka thepinkstore.com

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Age: 38

Residence: Elkhorn, Neb.

Website:  thepinkstore.com

Twitter: @thepinkstorecom

Linkedin: linkedin.com/pub/beka-doolittle

Intro music: Good Time,” by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen

Silicon Prairie News: For those who aren’t familiar with The Pink Store’s origins, what’s the story behind the business?

Beka Doolittle: I was living in a house with our three teenage boys and my hubby when the idea for The Pink Store came to me. I knew I wasn’t the only one who loves the color pink and decided to begin building a company where anyone could shop for a variety of primarily pink products. I registered The Pink Store LLC in January 2007, but when I lost my job in 2009, I knew my idea would soon come to fruition. By March 2011, my hubby and I agreed to use income tax money to purchase the domain name so I could begin an ecommerce retail store.

SPN: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced breaking into ecommerce without much experience in the field?

BD: My background is in finance and banking, so I’ve had to teach myself about the back end of a website. Lingo like SEO, drop-shipping and social media were not in my vocabulary. Other than knowing how to navigate around the internet or periodic personal Facebook statuses, I had no clue what I was getting myself into. I’ve spent countless hours awake while everyone else sleeps late at night to learn new things about my business.

SPN: What people or resources do you look to for insight on being a full-time mom and entrepreneur?

BD: I rely on prayer most of the time to be honest. There’s not a lot of extra time for reading unless it pertains to my business right now. My family and friends are my best resources when I need to laugh, cry or think out loud. I’ve found a website called mompreneursonline.com that provides a connection with others who are like me and that provides common ground or at least a bit of a break from insanity.

SPN: Your website’s about page has lots of interpretations about what pink means. What’s your interpretation? What does pink mean to you?

BD: For me the color pink means femininity. It’s a feel good color, a fun color, and makes people smile. It can either soften or brighten someone’s world depending on the shade. And no matter what, it adds a touch of girly-ness to any outfit or home decor. I just love that!

SPN: What are three items you haven’t seen in pink but would most like to add to your inventory if you ever find pink versions?

BD: That’s one heck of a tricky question! I’m not sure there’s anything that DOESN’T come in pink somewhere! A pink iPad or Macbook would be sweet, but thepinkstore.com and Apple would have to collaborate. Hmmmm…now there’s a novel idea!!!


Credits: Photo by Designer Portraits by Ann.


Prairie Portraits: To learn more about this series, see our introduction post, or visit our archives for past Prairie Portraits. To suggest an individual for a future Prairie Portrait, contact editor@siliconprairienews.com.


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This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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