We were lucky to catch up with Romance Anastasa recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Romance, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
I always tell people that being an Entrepreneur was always in my blood because my great-grandmother owned taverns in the neighborhood. Growing up watching a woman that I admired and respected quickly made me realize that she was the type of woman that I wanted to be when I grew up. The idea to open a lingerie store came about while working my way through college at Macy’s. I was promoted to Lingerie Specialist (partially due to my name) and it was there that I fell in love with lingerie and intimate apparel fashion. I am actually a nurse but almost immediately I began to gravitate back towards lingerie and intimate apparel. I was and still is very passionate about how proper undergarments and beautiful intimate apparel can boost a woman’s confidence. After college I returned to my childhood neighborhood of Bronzeville, which is located on the Southside of Chicago and the closest option to purchase intimate apparel was miles away. I felt like it would be amazing to not only open a lingerie and intimate apparel store to provide quality pieces to my community but to also teach the community how important it is to have a proper foundation under your clothes. I spent the first year spending lots of face time with my customers and providing free bra measurements whether they purchased anything or not. After a couple of years my customers began to communicate to me that they wanted something different. in 2018 I began to drift away from purchasing wholesale from other brands and started designing intimate apparel myself. It’s been amazing watching the evolution from lingerie retail store to a lingerie brand; offering exclusive designs and accessories made by me.
Romance, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m really passionate about my business because I’m passionate about my community. I’m blessed to have seen that expand outside the lines of south Chicago but it’s still my community nonetheless. My products are available to everyone but I grew up in a neighborhood where most could only dream of luxury and the finer things. Aside from lingerie and intimate apparel I’ve created a lip gloss and unisex fragrance inspired by popular high end brands, I’ve also created monogram tights, monogram scarfs, Earth friendly croc leather bags and even gold compact mirrors. I have a passion for exposing people to luxury and experiences that they may not see otherwise. I work really hard to create quality products, quality packaging and an overall lux experience at an affordable price. Exposure to luxury, exposure to positive customer experiences, and permission to be sexy and beautiful in a market where most women feel so vulnerable are some of the core values that I live by.
Have you ever had to pivot?
COVID greatly affected business for me. Queendom by Romance started as a brick & mortar business. I had built my success around foot traffic and community engagement. When the pandemic hit, I was forced to close my doors and pivot to e-commerce. This was something that I unfortunately didn’t take as serious as I should have before. Like most businesses, it was extremely hard for me. However, pivoting to e-commerce helped me develop myself more as a Designer because it allowed me to really focus on my passion. It also allowed me the time to become a Designer in Residence with Chicago Fashion Incubator.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Doing it alone is a lesson that I had to unlearn fast. When I first started my business I didn’t have many mentors but I did receive advice from close family and friends. Often times I was told that I had to do everything on my own until my business was profitable enough to hire help. This is half true. Doing everything on my own not only burnt me out completely but it also hindered me from growing all together. If you are thinking of starting a business, plan accordingly and hire help.
Contact Info:
- Website: queendombyromance.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/queendombyromance?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QueendomByRomance
- Other: Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/queendombyromance/ Tiktok – https://www.tiktok.com/@queendombyromance?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Image Credits
By File name Sierra – Kinmiar of Hautemice Studios Queendom3 – Keith of Fotolegends Queendom Anniversary Shoot – Trevor Popovits of Lumber Studios Queendom Posts – Queendom by Romance