Elizabeth co-founded the Narwhal and the Manatee in October of 2015. Out of the two original partners, Elizabeth was hesitant and looking for any excuse to not open the store. A short time later, she bought her partner out and became the sole owner. Each year into the business, she had to deal with hurdle after hurdle. In October of 2017, she was struck by the biggest one to date...the diagnosis of stage 3 cancer. 

 

Her battle with cancer took over throughout the following months, which left her sitting on the sidelines when it came to running the business. As someone who held control over the majority of her small business and seldom had a lot of outside help – this was a massive shift. She was put in a position where she had to trust others to run the business in her absence, which was new territory for her.