14 Greater Hartford Entrepreneurs Begin reSET Floor

14 Greater Hartford Entrepreneurs Begin reSET Floor–Plan Retail Incubator Program

awalsh • September 13, 2022

-Businesses Ramping Up for Holiday and Winter Markets-

September 13, 2022, Hartford, CT–reSET, the non-profit entrepreneur support organization, in partnership with Breakfast Lunch & Dinner, a community venture building studio, announces the start of its fall Floor–Plan Retail Incubator program with 14 businesses participating.

The businesses were selected from a competitive application process and focus on a variety of retail sectors, from fashion and apparel, to art and design, food, cosmetics and homegoods. Participants are at the early stages of developing their ventures and will learn business model design, customer acquisition, startup financing, and retail market preparation over the 10-week program.

Participants will be showcased as Retail Incubator Vendors at a Pop-Up during Know Good Market, organized by Breakfast Lunch & Dinner, on Thursday November 10, and will also be ready to participate in Winterfair Hartford and other pop-up marketplaces.

“In an age when buyers can get anything via a click, and retail is dominated by national brands, unique home-grown retail experiences contribute to the vibrancy of the Hartford region,” said Sarah Bodley, reSET’s Executive Director. “Strengthening local entrepreneurs is core to reSET’s mission, and we’re thrilled about the range of offerings from this cohort who are developing retail solutions that address local needs in their community.”

“The Retail Incubator is a component of Breakfast Lunch & Dinner’s Floor–Plan retail activation initiative, and we’re excited to welcome this cohort of entrepreneurs to contribute to the vitality of Hartford’s retail and small businesses,” said Joshua Jenkins, Breakfast Lunch & Dinner Partner. “Through their participation in this program, these entrepreneurs will be well-positioned to access additional resources through BL&D’s pop-up events such as the Know Good Market, The CAF by Cafeteria retail storefront, and e-commerce platform.”

The program will be facilitated by Typhanie Winfield-Alexander, a Certified Life Coach, trainer, and Owner of Momentum Life Mastery Coaching. She is a proud reSET Impact Accelerator Alumna and a Class of 2022 recipient of the 100 Women of Color Awards.

Participating entrepreneurs are:

3rd Eye FC LLC: founded by James Black, 3rd Eye FC creates safe spaces for creatives and athletes to leverage their skills and talents.

Airis LLC: founded by Lindaluz Carrillo, Airis is creating a space where people can explore their creativity outside what they imagine.

Amparo Merced: founded by Veronica Brown, Amparo Merced is a loungewear company providing comfort for plus size bodies, via sustainable and comfortable collections so you can live an opulent lifestyle.

Cool Bri’s Smoothies: founded by Brianna Gervickas, Cool Bri’s Smoothies creates awesome smoothies with organic fruit and fun ingredients, at your event or in your fridge!

Desde Almagro con Amor: founded by Colleen Fitzgerald and Pablo Werner, Desde Almagro con Amor sells a curated collection of artisanal, handcrafted and vintage pieces that support indigenous artists, who create beautiful objects using the finest materials.

The D.N.A. Shop: founded by Jose Arroyo, the D.N.A. Shop is a modern print shop and online marketplace, specializing in printing custom apparel.

Glossy Diva Cosmetics & Supplies, LLC: founded by Sharla Weaver, Glossy Diva Cosmetics & Supplies is a 100% vegan/organically based cosmetic product and service company, promoting safe, healthy, natural ingredients and regimens for sensitive skin clients, hands on education and training to beautify the basic natural beauties to the full diva glamour.

Good Vibez: founded by Akilah Christina Hill, Good Vibez believes in spreading positivity by removing the negative energy from our hearts and minds, uplifting ourselves and others, being free, and inhaling the freshness of life.

Hecho by Helena: founded by Helena Martinez, Hecho by Helena is a Latina-owned business with a mission to empower all Latine generations through sassy Spanish and English phrased creations and eye-catching art.

Kobéy Enterprises LLC: founded by Kobéy Smith, Kobéy Enterprises is a merchandise company that sells mindfulness-themed merchandise as a way to inform people about meditation and mental health awareness.

Risarranged by LMB: founded by Larissa Boni, risarranged by LMB is a photographic art and design business that creates items made to appreciate, celebrate, and decorate the everyday.

SweetHouse Creations LLC: founded by Deirdre Brickhouse, SweetHouse Creations is a licensed home bakery that specializes in vegan and gluten-free desserts and food items.

By Dani Simone Studio: founded by Dani Simone, the By Dani Simone Studio is a luxury custom corset wedding dress brand with a mission to train BIPOC in sewing and fashion tech with the goal of creating employee owned small batch manufacturing businesses for the community.

Xarea LLC: founded by Xarea Lockhart, Xarea is a clothing and accessories label that aims to create sweet, simple and responsibly-made accessible luxuries.

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Leadership Transition Announcement: reSET Executive Director to Step Down in 2026

By awalsh • February 13, 2026

Dear reSET Community, The Board of Directors today announces the departure of Sarah Bodley as Executive Director of reSET in a planned transition later this year. The Board has immense gratitude for Sarah and all her contributions over the years. Over the last seven years, Sarah has built an amazing foundation for the organization and she leaves reSET in a strong position for continued growth and service. Sarah joined reSET in 2018 and over the past seven years has solidified and expanded reSET’s mission of supporting impact-driven entrepreneurs throughout Connecticut. Here are a few key highlights from Sarah’s time here: Facilitated the acquisition of Collab New Haven, expanding reSET’s footprint to a statewide geography and further enhancing our mission Developed and implemented new core programs including the award-winning Food Incubator, as well as the Food Accelerator, Retail Incubator, Measure What Matters, and Digital Marketing Mastermind Established reSET as a founding partner of the Hartford Culinary Collaborative, enabling greater connectivity and cooperation among food-centric support organizations in our region Doubled the organization’s budget to over 1 Million Dollars, securing multi-year State government grants Won the prestigious Neighborhood Builders Award from Bank of America, and the Leadership Greater Hartford Polaris Community Award in 2022 Established an endowment fund thanks to support from the Zachs Family Foundation to support the long term sustainability of reSET’s mission Over the coming months, we will be continuing our search to find reSET's next Executive Director. Sarah will stay onboard through June to ensure a smooth handoff to our next leader, and will be available as a resource throughout 2026. It is the Board of Directors’ priority, along with Sarah's, to make this transition as smooth as possible to continue the great work Sarah has helped us do over her tenure. The Executive Director’s Job Posting can be found at this link, and we invite you to keep in mind any potential candidates in your community or network that you think might be a great fit. The Board of Directors wishes Sarah the best of luck in her future endeavors. We are appreciative of the dedication and enthusiasm she has given to reSET over the last seven years, particularly navigating our organization seamlessly during the historic times of the pandemic, changes in administration, and an ever-evolving landscape of opportunity for entrepreneurs. We are confident that with Sarah’s support, this transition will be a smooth one for our Connecticut entrepreneurs, partners, and generous supporters. We look forward to continuing our growth and to serving our mission of supporting the social enterprise sector. If you have any questions or concerns during this transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out via contacting admin@resetco.org to get in touch with the board. Sincerely, Ali Lazowski + Dave Menard, co-chairs, reSET Board of Directors

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reSET Food and Retail Programs Featured in Radio Interview

July 7, 2025

Listen in to the replay of John Voket of Connoisseur Media's interview of reSET Food Program Manager Katrice Claudio and Program Manager Ndubisi Okeke that aired on Sunday July 6, 2025. They talked about the reSET programs that are enrolling for the fall--the Food Accelerator for food businesses looking to scale, and the Retail Incubator for early stage product-based businesses looking to ramp up for holiday markets in Connecticut. Listen here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8745230-reset-fall-program-preview The interview aired on the award-winning "For the People" show on Sunday, July 6 on WEBE 108 FM, STAR 99.9, WPLR FM and THe VOICE of Connecticut and on the podcast.