Hestia Harlow Takes Your Party Next Level, Effortlessly
BY CHELSEA DAVIS
Hosting is an art. Going to a well planned party where everything is masterfully curated from the table runner, centerpiece and plates to the food itself never fails to impress. Aesthetics aside, we can all agree that entertaining isn’t easy and is a skillset that not every one has. Making sure your guests are having a good time, conversation is flowing and people mingling and happy is, honestly, stressful. So why make things harder on yourself?
Enter: Hestia Harlow, your one-stop-shop for everything needed to create a lavish dinner party experience. From tablescapes, plates, wine glasses, and florals to the food itself, Hestia Harlow has what you need to take your party next level, effortlessly.
“The concept of Hestia Harlow and creating a one-stop shop for the modern entertainer is over a decade old,” explains Andrew Shortell, CEO and Founder of Hestia Harlow. “As event producers, we are well versed in planning large galas and events, but we were constantly frustrated that there was not an aggregated platform to make small gatherings and dinner parties easy.”
“We love to entertain. We love to have different themes and conversations and meeting moments,” he continues. “Rent the runway did to fashion, what we are trying to do for events. We wanted to create a product that was easy, delivered to your door, and made you feel as good as a host as you possibly can.”
We chatted with Andrew Shortell, CEO and Founder of Hestia Harlow on what makes this company unique, COVID pivots, clientele and more. Here’s what he had to say.
Was there a moment where you knew you had a brilliant idea and that there was a market for this?
We always knew this was needed but had let the idea sit as we worked on several other companies. But a few years ago, while wine tasting in Napa, a winemaker told us his story of what a nightmare it was to plan a small dinner for the winery. We explained our concept and he replied “If only I had had Hestia Harlow when I was planning my dinner, you would have made it so easy” We knew at that moment, it’s now or never.
What types of parties have you helped to host? What are a few of the most unique ones?
We’ve surprisingly done a little of everything. From weddings, kids’ parties, family celebrations for the holidays, virtual gala dinners, pizza parties, to birthday dinners at home. Some of the more unusual include boat boxes, Mother’s Day brunch sent by the kids who can’t be there, or graduation celebrations.
Who is your typical clientele?
I would say our clientele range but there is one unifying factor, they love to share a meal at the table. We help parents hosts kids’ parties, we help celebrate milestone events, and most importantly, we help cherish the dinner table. There is nothing better than going to someone’s home and share those special moments together.
Has business been affected by Covid? Have you had to pivot?
We launched during Covid which was exciting and challenging at the same time. Covid definitely made people think about celebrating special occasions and holidays in a different way. Last Thanksgiving was very successful with families trying to make smaller gatherings special.
We even had a father order table settings for himself and his two daughters that couldn’t celebrate with him in person. As things open back up, I think we will see more and more celebrations. We are excited to offer a platform that will help everyone entertain effortlessly.
What's in the works? Anything new on the horizon?
We are really excited about our new website launching this month which will allow us to add new products and services as well as original how-to-content and videos. We are expanding our catered food boxes to include themed dinners and cocktail parties to cook-along at-home parties. We are also developing a subscription platform that allows our members to rent collections whenever they like for a yearly or monthly fee.
How often do you come up with new designs?
Hestia Harlow’s goal is to introduce new collections every season especially for the Holidays where we try to capture the latest trends and styles. We also customize designs for our corporate clients and boutique weddings. We are also going to introduce a mix-and-match concept on our new app that allows customers to have fun mixing items for various collections across our site.
