Three Minutes with … Sofi Hodges of Hermiston

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Who are you and what do you do?

I am Sofi Hodges, and I make apparel. I screen print onto clothes, usually sweatshirts, crewnecks, hoodies and stuff. And I do some embroidery all for my business, The Rustic Babe.

Where did you grow up? When did you come to Hermiston?

I grew up here in Hermiston, all my life. When I turned 18 I married my husband and we lived in Hawaii for four years. My husband was stationed at the Marine base on Oahu in Kaneohe Bay. Then when he discharged we moved to back to Oregon, because it is my home state. He was a Navy brat.

What are a few of your hobbies?

Fitness, powerlifting at the gym, creating new content for my business. It sounds crazy, but I will wake up at 3 a.m. with an idea for my business and I can’t go back to sleep and I just get so excited about it. And hanging out with my babies, I have two boys a one-year-old and a four-month-old, and my husband.

How do you spend your free time?

Oh man, gosh, being a mom. It sounds so generic but being a mom is my free time. Honestly, we love doing stuff together all the time. We are going to Tri-Cities, or going to the park. Just being a mom and unplugging from everybody, just being able to connect with my people, my little tribe at home.

How would you describe yourself?

Uh, loud. (laughs) Someone who wants to see someone else just as happy as I am. I love making people laugh and happy, and listening. Even if someone is going on for an hour, I just listen because sometimes that’s what they need. I’m someone who likes to make someone else’s day better than it was.

What is something you’re passionate about?

Knowledge. I have been in school almost all my life. I have never not taken a class in the last 29 years. As exhausting as it sounds to be in school that long, I crave it. I crave knowledge to better myself, and to better my family.

What are a few of your proudest accomplishments?

Oh man, my first greatest accomplishment are my boys. I was so scared I wasn’t going to be a good mom, but I couldn’t have asked for better boys to be a mom to. My second is being willing to change my life for the better when I met my husband. Third is starting my business. I told myself I might quit a month in, three months in, but I just had to do it and I kept going. I’m just so proud of it. It’s something I’ve built by myself.

What do you like most about the community you live in?

I love how helpful they are. I don’t think I’ve ran into one mean person that I know. Everyone I know isn’t mean. Everyone who comes here because they think Hermiston is a good idea, I can’t stress enough how helpful this community is. Small businesses especially, people are just willing to help.