2026 Readers Choice winner: An artistic yearning led an Estacada businesswoman to an award-winning career change.
Katie Hegner was working as a corrections officer, but nearly a decade into the role, she was feeling burned out. It was long hours, and it wasn’t scratching that artistic itch she had ever since those early-year doodles.
She had two friends who co-owned Backroads Beauty Collective in Downtown Estacada, and thus a potential avenue. So Hegner earned certifications in permanent makeup and fine-line tattoos, and Wildflower Permanent Cosmetics, 194 S.E. Fourth St., bloomed with an official opening in 2022…