Our Story

From Arkansas to Egypt: a Love Story with History

The Mountain Girl

Lacey Hendrix (born Lacey Cowin) spent her girlhood days in the Boston Mountain region of the Ozarks. She lived in Schaberg, hunted deer with her dad Joey Cowin, stayed at the Chester House Inn, and attended Mountainburg schools and the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. As a child, she admired her mother's love for natural remedies, healthy ingredients, and travel to far off places.

Bewitched by a Boy

When she met Louisiana dreamer Lance Hendrix, they fell in love almost instantly. He proposed to her at Clear Creek, married her in Tyler, Texas and whisked her off to Egypt for their first year of marriage. 

A born explorer, Lacey spent her year in Egypt taking in the diverse oils, intoxicated by the tastes of rose and scent of cardamom in the air. They traveled through Western Asia before relocating to England where they had their first child. At last, they returned to the States, where Lacey spent four years working with refugees to connect them with meaningful employment.

Apothecary Dreams

Lacey yearned to create her own apothecary line that could combine the natural ingredients of her youth with the scents and flavors she found abroad. With three small but rambunctious kids, Lacey started Beard and Lady in 2015. Encouraged by friends and YouTube personalities Rhett and Link, Beard and Lady started their collection with an ornately bottled beard oil and cardamom rose lip balm.

Both unabashed romantics, the Hendrix’s vision for Beard and Lady was unique: crafting personal care and grooming products for men and women with unique flavors and scents that enhance the chemistry of relationships.

The Next Adventure

As the woman-owned company grew, Lance and Lacey looked to the horizon for their next adventure. The pair share a passion for re-birthing both ancient elixirs and historic architecture. (In their spare time, they’ve renovated a farmhouse, church, and now a hotel bed and breakfast all from the 1880s.) 

Returning to her Roots

Lacey returned to Arkansas to breathe life into the historic Chester House Inn, adding an event space, a stage, and a mercantile shop. Here, she shares their apothecary goods with guests and shoppers, as well as nature-inspired workshops and immersive guest experiences in the Inn’s 11 themed rooms. She’s proud to share her mountain town roots and worldly encounters by way of an uncommon experience in the Ozarks.

Take a peek inside Lacey’s visionary hotel and visit the Beard and Lady Website at www.beardandlady.com. Lacey and Lance Hendrix run a non-profit called Notes of Love that holds dates nights at the Inn.