RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - The City of Rancho Cordova is home to over 3,500 businesses that employ a workforce of 65,000+, making us one of the largest employment centers in the Greater Sacramento region.

Women have started creative businesses in our city, from breweries with a passion for making beer to bakeries that make your tastebuds smile. As we celebrate Women’s History Month in March, meet one of these business owners, Danielle Vinson of Heart Craft Studio.

Danielle’s road to opening Heart Craft Studio in Rancho Cordova was a winding road. Her first business, Rugged Lotus, started in Los Angeles as an idea to merge her loves of hiking and yoga, and evolved into a pop-up e-commerce boutique with her own handmade healing gemstone jewelry and yoga lifestyle gear. A marriage, two sons, and seven moves all led her to focus on her passion for art.

Danielle’s journey in Rancho Cordova started in 2017 when her family moved to the Anatolia Neighborhood. Shortly after the move, Danielle’s youngest son was diagnosed with Autism, and she focused on getting her son the support he needed. Her older son also started Kindergarten at Sunrise Elementary School.

Danielle volunteered as an art teacher at the school doing monthly art programs. She became known as the neighborhood art mom and received requests from others to do art classes. Due to the demand, Danielle launched Rugged Lotus art classes at local businesses and parties, which was going well until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The silver lining was it gave Danielle time to explore what she always wanted to do, open a brick-and-mortar community space.

“Anatolia Village is truly a village. It almost seems like a fantasy until you experience it. My family has never had that sense of community,” said Danielle. “It was important to me to open my business on the Anatolia side of Highway 50 so I could offer something for our community specifically. I also wanted to be close enough to the surrounding area that people could come from all over.”

Then in December 2020, Danielle’s dad passed away from a heart attack, and she was paralyzed with grief. Danielle couldn’t think of moving forward with her business, after all the wisdom he’d provided her as a father and an entrepreneur, and she decided to revisit it in the summer. However, she started business entrepreneurship, drawing, internet marketing, and other classes at Folsom Lake College to build more of a foundation.

One day in spring 2021, Danielle was driving on Sunrise Boulevard when she saw a For Lease sign. She knew the business that had been there prior, had been looking at the space next door, and saw it was perfect. After going back and forth not sure if she was ready, Danielle followed her heart and got the keys in September.

Heart Craft Studio was born as a place for creative exploration. Danielle and her team of instructors teach different classes, from painting to fiber art to cookie decorating, and they hold community events. The business name comes from the term heart chakra in yoga with a focus on the heart center. If you look closely at the inside of the heart-shaped logo, it’s Danielle’s rendering of her dad’s fingerprint.

“Art has gotten me through a lot of my own life hurdles. I want to be able to offer that much-needed break to tune out the rest of what’s going on and reset,” said Danielle. “My son told me recently that I was in the business of celebrating. It’s a gift, especially now more than ever, to share in these moments of joy and happiness. I feel so blessed and grateful.”

Danielle has created the space to be inclusive so differently-abled people feel at home, like her son. She hosted an all-abilities craft fair for special needs individuals of all ages and abilities. She also has a calm break room for those who might be having a hard time or are over stimulated, so they can take a break.

If you are looking to learn a new skill, attend a community event, or celebrate a special occasion in Rancho Cordova, check out Heart Craft Studio at HeartCraftStudio.com. For a list of other women-owned businesses in Rancho Cordova, visit CityofRanchoCordova.org/CelebratingDiversity.