Every visionary needs an integrator; at HART, Curry’s the one who gets things done. As CEO, she manages sales & marketing, day-to-day operations, and the numbers. Since joining her sister Hart in 2020, she’s led the opening of the flagship store, developed the management team, and expanded wholesale distribution into more than 200 luxury boutiques, destination resorts and spas. As ecommerce remains at the core of HART, Curry leads strategic partnerships and dropship accounts, such as our newest launch with The Gap.
Prior to HART, Curry was head of marketing & PR for Easton Porter Group (EPG) from 2104-2020, Curry led all communication, digital mktg & partnerships and was an in integral member of the strategic business development team for the luxury hospitality company with properties including Zero George Hotel, Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards, and five restaurants and event spaces.
Before working at EPG, she was the Program Director for the nation’s largest consumer event for cooking and entertaining, overseeing more than 200 programs annually and partnerships with Food Network, the James Beard Foundation and national sponsors and media partners. Before that she was the Assistant to the First Lady of South Carolina – managing all scheduling, press and official state events at the Governor’s Mansion as well as directing the First Lady’s statewide health initiative.
Curry received her MBA from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina and an undergraduate degree from George Washington University. Curry lives in Charleston with her husband, son Hugo (4) and two incredibly fluffy Persian cats. Her personal goals for 2023 are to take a college level Portuguese literature class and finally learn to play pickle-ball.
On the Charleston Day Family
Our whole [immediate] family went to CDS, and our cousins went as well. It was way more than just the nuclear unit for us. It was a way for us to connect to our 1st and 2nd cousins too. My graduating class had thirteen girls and six boys. We were incredibly close and still are. So it formed a real sisterhood for me in multiple ways. To this day, I can still name everybody in alphabetical order and probably list their phone numbers and their dogs’ names, too. I really do consider my Day School friends my anchor.
On Charleston Day Memories
One of my favorite things about CDS is how the school embraced the city as the classroom. From writing haikus about paintings at the Gibbes, matinees at the Dock Street, to being a junior docent at Drayton Hall, we really tapped into the arts & culture. Oh, and doing timed runs around Colonial Lake for Track Meet qualifications. The city was such an extension of a classroom and that’s something that I think is so valuable for creating communities. So it’s not just about the people, but it’s about the places.
One tradition that I loved was the speech contest. I was in it in 1994, and actually, my speech was about raising awareness for handgun violence. I didn’t place, but the real prize was roller-skating with Mrs. Dottie Rhett – every year she took all of the finalists to Hot Wheels for skating and pizza.
On the Origin of a Family Business
I give all the credit to Hart. She founded the brand in 2016, and I had always been her #1 champion and business sounding board. I was working in luxury hospitality marketing and loved it, but I knew I always wanted to do my own thing. The path became very clear during COVID that there was a huge opportunity to take HART to the next level. I joined her in 2020 and haven’t looked back.
On Working with my Sister
Working with Hart is very rewarding. When we were growing up, my parents gave advice for dating—“same values, different interests”—and I think this sums us up well as business partners. Hart’s the Creative Director and leads all designs & production. My day-to-day is focused on marketing and strategic growth. Our skills are complementary. We make a good team.
On Leadership and Presenting a United Front
Lead with confidence and kindness and create a culture that fosters curiosity and creativity. We also want to surround ourselves with whip-smart women who get brain tingles from spreadsheets and genuinely love business. Confidence is a huge thing you learn at the School, and they really instilled confidence in me: in knowing how to write, knowing how to study, and just also having the social aspect that is Charleston Day does a great job cultivating—not only in terms of polishing manners and character, but also fostering a sense of curiosity that inherently opens you up to other people and points of views. And when we’re hiring women at HART, you know, we’re looking for people who possess those qualities, women who are confident and curious. And I think that that really was a core takeaway from our time at Charleston Day.
On Business Milestones
Some of our recent milestones include opening a pop-up concept in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood. It’s a retail incubator for direct-to-consumer brands to launch into new markets. The store is a success and we can see its impact on online sales – especially the spike in New England orders. Seeing the brand live on its own in a huge city is like letting the baby leave the nest.
Another fun partnership this year was with The Gap. I consulted with their team on building their dropship model. We have introduced a few exclusive ready-to-wear designs for The Gap, and they featured Hart and me for International Women’s Day.
On Brand Values
For centuries, jewelry has been supercharged with personal sentiment and talismanic meaning, especially family heirlooms and the contemporary ‘fine jewelry’ category. There are several incredible modern, ‘for women by women’ brands like Marla Aaron and Foundrae which tap into this jewelry ethos; however, there was nothing inspiring in the ‘costume jewelry’ space for women like ourselves who couldn’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on a solid gold necklace.
The brand focus has shifted to ‘soulful adornment’ and expanded our designs to high-quality, personalized gold-plated jewelry and beaded mantra bracelets. Our team’s north star is “Outer sparkle ignites inner spark.’ In other words, we want to create a brand and quality-yet-affordable designs that help a woman tell her personal story and empower her to live her most authentic life.
Red or Blue? Which were you?
Red
CDS spotlighted Curry Hagerty Uflacker in our fall 2023 Gateway Magazine. You can read the full issue online. We are always interested in updates from our CDS alumni! Submit your news, so you can stay connected with our CDS community.