For a self-described introvert, Haileyite Rachel Lee does not shy from colorful hair (11 colors at the same time at the maximum), helping all the customers at Jane’s Artifacts at any time with anything, or attending every live music event happening in the Valley.
“I’ve always been a bit of a wallflower,” Rachel admits, but rather than giving in to the tendency to isolate, she has steered herself to very public jobs. “I gravitate to work with heavy customer flow, which kind of puts me out of my comfort zone,” she laughed. And in the many years she’s worked at Jane’s, she certainly has interacted with many, many, many customers.
Rachel landed the job straight out of Silver Creek High School.
“I walked into Jane’s, a place I had always shopped, with a huge mohawk,” Rachel explained. “Jane said, ‘I think you’ll be a great fit. You just need to tone it down a bit.’ I kept the mohawk black and kind of pulled it back into a ponytail. That’s as toned-down as I could get.”
Rachel was first drawn to Jane’s because of her interest in art. “I love both drawing and painting with acrylics. I grew up wanting to be a starving artist,” she said. Though Rachel, with her busy schedule, does not have much time to pursue her art right now, it is something she plans to return to.
Asked what her favorite season is at Jane’s, which stocks its shelves to celebrate every season from St. Patrick’s Day to Super Bowl Sunday. Easy. Halloween. “I live for Halloween,” Rachel admitted. Going in to work in October and helping customers choose great décor for Halloween festivities is her most wonderful time of the year. Her least favorite holidays to stock for? Many others’ ‘most wonderful time’—Christmas. “I love Christmas but I am glad when it’s over. We start receiving Christmas as early as May so it’s a l-o-n-g season!” Also low on the currently single gal’s list is Valentine’s Day, but hey, it’s almost over.
Born at Moritz Community Hospital in Sun Valley and never having lived farther from Hailey than Warm Springs, Rachel is a local’s local and loves life in the Wood River Valley. The best thing about living in the Valley for her? Also easy—the people.
“I love being part of this small town,” she explained. “I am constantly amazed, though I shouldn’t be, at just how friendly and loving this community is.”
A large part of Rachel’s world includes the recovery community, one she has been an active part of for nearly 11 years. “This is the community that’s kept me going for a long time,” she said. “When I describe this area to people who don’t know it, I tell them it’s like a college town without the college. It’s easy for young people, or anyone, to get caught up in all the fun and that gets a lot of people to a place where they need some help.”
Rachel, who attends many A.A. and N.A. meetings in Bellevue and Hailey, said one of the things she gets the most satisfaction from is helping others and using her own experiences to that end. “I give people rides, take them out for coffee, pick up the phone at 2 a.m. I try to be a resource and friend for anyone who is struggling. I think I can be especially helpful to people who are young and in early recovery. It’s my passion. I feel like everyone in this amazing community will do whatever they can to help someone else succeed.”
Another thing Rachel is truly passionate about is… wait for it… office supplies. She loves to nerd out about paper, pens, printer ink—some of the elements that keep local businesses and organizations, from the school district to county offices, running. “For the past six-and-a-half years I have also worked at Jane’s as the outside sales manager, working with accounts to make sure they have what they need, even delivering the goods to them,” Rachel explained. “I love it.”
When Rachel is not channeling her inner Dwight Schrute, she can be found mostly in a few places: local coffee shops, watching bands and, lately, enjoying theater. “I’ve become a huge fan of The Spot,” she shared. “They are dong amazing stuff. And I’ve never missed a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show there. It gives me a chance to dress up like Dr. Frank N. Furter, which is pretty great.” (see above… she loves Halloween). A good band will also always get her out. “I am a big music lover and live music is the best. Seeing a band in person is so much better than hearing them on the radio.”
Rachel’s favorite musical event of the year was probably Summer’s End – The Draper Rendezvous at the Draper Preserve in Hailey. “Andy Sheppard and the Shook Twins shows were fantastic.”
Last, but not least, Rachel is a self-proclaimed ‘hip cat lady.’ “I have three [cats] that are my children,” she laughed. “Loki, a rescue cat, Leroy, a kitten I found on Facebook, and Dr. Frank N. Furter, who was a feral barn cat and now is the best, mostly indoor, cat.” She loves them all equally.
Five questions for Rachel:
WRW: What is your favorite product at Jane’s right now?
RL: The G2 Pilot pen. I like scratchy pens.
WRW: What are you doing with your hair at the moment?
RL: Right now? I have to say it’s boring blonde. I do my hair myself so I’m sure I will do something else soon. I also like to help my friends with their color. Everyone tells me I missed my calling!
WRW: Favorite season?
RL: I love cold seasons. I love cold weather. Fall, winter especially, spring I especially love, too. I love it when it rains a lot.
WRW: Anything people would be surprised to learn about you?
RL: I used to go to Burning Man back when it was 30,000 people instead of 80,000. I was so into the art and being part of that artists’ community.
WRW: What could we use some more of in this Valley right now?
RL: Honestly? More recovery resources. The Sober Living House in Hailey is doing great things and I would love to see something like that, but for women in the Valley. We always need more resources for young people in recovery as they often struggle the most.
Thank you, Sandy, Kelly for suggesting Rachel as the subject for this week’s The People That You’ll Meet. If you would like to recommend someone that the community should get to know better, please email us at production@woodriverweekly.com with the subject line Someone to Meet.