business F o r s o u t h w e s t m o n ta n a
Target practice Clocking In with Dana Christain at Extreme Performance Archery PAGE 3
journal
September 23, 2014
Do it yourself
How Sarah Calhoun built Red Ants Pants brand from the ground up B y k ay l e e wa l d e n Busi n e s s Jou r na l E di tor
An anthill is forming on the side of the road; ants, like miniature workers, are diligently piling up small grains of dirt, gradually building the hill higher. The “workers” are all female ants, just as in any ant colony. Coincidentally, down the street is Red Ants Pants, the eponymous headquarters for the retail store, non-profit and musical festival, whose namesake was inspired by those hardworking female ants. After years of doing hard labor in ill-fitting pants that fell down and were all around un-flattering, Red Ants Pants proprietor Sarah Calhoun decided to make a change: There were no work pants specifically for women available on the market, so she was going to start a company and do it herself. At age 25, Calhoun bought a business how-to book with a dream in mind. In 2006, Red Ants Pants — the first retailer of women-specific work wear — became a reality. “I bought ‘Starting a Business for Dummies.’ I didn’t even know what a business plan was,” Calhoun recalls with a laugh. She was sitting in a coffee shop in Bozeman reading the book when a man who happened to work for Patagonia took notice, gave her some business advice and worked with her extensively during the beginning stages of the company. Calhoun finds herself happiest in rural com-
Sarah Calhoun, founder of Red Ants Pants, plays with her dog at her
munities, and that even Bozeman was “too big” for her liking. After reading a book by Montana author Ivan Doig called This House of Sky, she packed up and moved to White Sulphur Springs. The company’s current Main Street storefront
KAYLEE WALDEN/CHR ONICLE
home in White Sulphur Springs on Sept. 13.
location happened to be for sale upon her arrival. “It was kind of as if the path was meant to be,” Calhoun said. red ants Continued on page 6