Young Blair County entrepreneur challenges community to reduce waste with her eco-friendly, sustainable clothing and gifts
Altoona-based Wildfire increases awareness for low-waste living while providing eco-friendly alternatives. Photo: Provided.
Emily McCarty lives by the mantra to “follow what you love and never lose sight of why you started.” So when a #PlasticFreeJuly challenge kickstarted her desire to live sustainably, she turned it into a career. At age 19, McCarty opened Wildfire—an eco-friendly store that offers sustainable goods, clothing and gifts. “I wasn’t sure if this would be successful,” she said. “When I started investigating opening a storefront, I felt I had nothing to lose. My parents were gracious enough to allow me to live at home after I turned 18, my car was paid off, and I didn’t have any student loans, so I had no expenses. It made sense to me.”
Why a sustainable shop? #PlasticFreeJuly caught McCarty’s eye and inspired her vision. “#PlasticFreeJuly is a challenge on Instagram to eliminate all single-use plastic for the month of July—plastic cutlery, water bottles, shampoo bottles, straws, etc.,” she shared. “After trying to eliminate my waste, I became passionate about living a more sustainable lifestyle. Wildfire allows me to create awareness for low-waste living while providing eco-friendly alternatives.”
Her mission is simple: Ethically made apparel, accessories, and eco-friendly products to help you reduce plastic waste.
Teaming up with Startup Alleghenies allowed Emily McCarty to take her vision to the next level. Photo: Provided.
“We started off with bamboo toothbrushes, shampoo bars, and lip balm in a paper tube. Now we carry over 50 different sustainable products,” McCarty said.
“The people are so kind and it’s really a great community to be involved in. Everyone really has the desire to help and see a small business do well.”
Startup Alleghenies coach Matt Fox said that McCarty shines. “Emily is full of fire and passion. She understands business basics and loves to teach others about sustainability. We were able to team up and take her vision to the next level,” he said.
Mentorship is a key element to growth. McCarty credits her mentor and former boss for her interest in starting her own business and opening her Blair County storefront. “As her employee, she allowed me to manage the day-to-day responsibilities of her boutique and poured her time into helping me understand the business side of things,” she said. “As I learned more about bookkeeping, inventory management and social media, I fell in love with business as a whole and knew I wanted to open my own storefront.”
Photo: Provided.
McCarty said she pours her passion into her business. “I love the day-to-day tasks of owning my own business and working for myself,” she said. “Sustainability is a new business concept for the area and requires extra education through social media and as new customers walk through my doors.”
The community of the Alleghenies makes this region an ideal area to open a business. “The people are so kind and it’s really a great community to be involved in. Everyone really has the desire to help and see a small business do well,” McCarty said.
Wildfire is located at 1302 11th Avenue in Altoona. You can check them out Tuesday- Friday from 11-5 and on Saturdays from 10-3.
Startup Alleghenies helps startup and emerging small businesses succeed by providing free coaching to entrepreneurs in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon and Somerset counties. To access personal, one-on-one support from a coach in your county, including guidance, resources, tools and networking opportunities, sign up at startupalleghenies.com.
