We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michael Declemente a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
Tandieka is named after my late wife. The company was inspired by her life, and tells her story through the brand and her memoir. Her story, is timeless and will inspire generations to come. Of how she came to America and met the trials and tribulations of adapting and succeeding in her new home.
Michael, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I created the Tandieka Purse company as a way to get her memoir ‘Guyanese Girl in Transition: Stories of Love, Hope, Faith, Fight, and Survival.’ Into as many hands as possible. The idea is, you buy a bag, you get a free book.
I founded Tandieka a year ago and in 2025 there’s at least 15 bags to choose from. My newest deign is the Tandieka Heart bag which will capture everyone’s attention with its bright colors and one of a kind deigns.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
I’m readily available on all social media platforms and post every day on Tandieka 365 on Instagram and Facebook.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
I have my own website and have just started putting bags on Amazon. I don’t know what the cons will be as of yet
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tandieka.com
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/tandiekapurses
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@guyanesegirltandieka?si=zxKuhuPPmtTXDVru
Image Credits
Michael DeClemente