Welcome to HEC Studio, High.Elevation.Creations.
HEC Studio is a woman-owned & operated business…by me, Sarah Haske Buchanan. I’m the everything of HEC Studio! We are based out of Fairplay, Colorado at 10,300 ft!
Every hat that I make is one-of-a-kind & unique just like the individual wearing and adventuring in it. All hats are sewn out of Lucy, our 40ft school bus that I converted into our tiny home & mobile studio. There are 6 solar panels that line the roof of Lucy, thus the product is sewn with solar power making it sustainable too!! My fabrics & textiles are vintage, from around the world, recycled, repurposed, bought locally, & all 100% have a story behind them.
Founder Story I was born & raised in the magical Buena Vista, Colorado. I’ve traveled around the world & lived in several places, but Colorado has always had my heart. HEC Studio is based out of Fairplay, Colorado at 10,300 ft.
My journey started almost 10 years ago with heartache, grief, & loss. In those very dark times is when I found my sewing machine & my canvas…hats! At this point I needed my own home, studio, & space to start this new journey of life & creating hats. This is where my girl Lucy comes in….
I had some friends that started & ran a non profit origination called “Bus to Show”. Bus to show is to keep drunk drivers off the road, help eliminate the amount of cars driving/parking at shows around Colorado, but allowing people to still have fun and be safe. This is where I first heard of skoolie/bus life. At this time I realized that the platform of a school bus is exactly what I needed for a home and studio.
To top it off Im a gypsy at heart and the bus has wheels which enables me to move wherever my heart desires. Lucy is my dream machine - my 40ft school bus that I bought and named Lucy. One of the founders of “Bus to Show”,Charles Kern, is the bus guru guy. He converts school buses into tiny homes and other spaces. Charlie was my “main man” on the the build of Lucy with another friend named Ben, who did all the custom wood work and cabinets within the bus. I did the entire demo of Lucy myself and then hired Charles and Ben to help with the build!
I remember when I first bought Lucy, I was in the bar toasting with my friends that I bought a 40’ school bus. I’ve never even driven a bus at that point, but that didn’t stop me! I didn’t know A SINGLE thing about school buses and now I know A LOT and also drive one like a pro! Lucy was the perfect stepping stone for HEC Studio, I needed this space for my business to grow into what it is now.
Lucy is fully off grid pulling 1800 watts of power through her 6 solar panels that line the roof of the bus (also with a roof top deck up there too)! All hats are sewn and made with solar power thus making a sustainable product too!! Lucy also has a 100 gallon water tank (lasts about 2 weeks, with careful usage) composting toilet, full shower, full kitchen (stove, sink, and fridge) and plenty of working and living space!!
It’s been 4 years of working & living out of Lucy. I recently bought a house with my husband, Ian Buchanan which has even further catapulted HEC Studio into a very successful hat business!
I love creating all day, but something wasn’t fully satisfying me. Then a school invited me to come in and talk to kids about being an entrepreneur artist and that’s when it all clicked. This is not just about making hats, this is also an empowerment piece!! You too can do anything you set you mind to! I love sharing my story & drive with others to demonstrate how hard work and a dream can come true. Even if life has given you a bunch of lemons, make a tasty sweet lemonade out of it, cause we all have hard times - its how you deal with adversity!
We are now celebrating 5 years of being in business as HEC Studio! Follow along on the ride of HEC Studio on our Instagram or Facebook!!
Thanks for your time, love, support, & keeping my dream ALIVE always!
Much love, Sarah & Lucy
