We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Allie Arpaci. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Allie below.

Allie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

My husband always had his sights on being an entrepreneur. He was constantly dreaming up ideas and doing market research to try to actualize them. He immigrated to the US when he was 30 years old, and we got married pretty quick thereafter and began working corporate jobs; that was my “American Dream.”

After a few years of feeling stuck and wishing for more time to travel, we decided to move back to Ohio from the DC Metro Area to live near family for support. In 2016, we sold our car, quit our jobs and moved to Columbus, OH. Guven’s mom came to visit from Turkey and brought our 3 year old niece a lightweight, purple, cotton bathrobe and I melted seeing how cute she was in it! I knew Guven’s family business was Turkish textiles, but I didn’t really understand what they made and sold until I saw little Mia running around the house in her new robe. This idea stuck and we immediately got to work, beginning with a trip to Turkey to design a new collection for our new American brand extension of Guven’s original family business.

At the time of launching Together Textiles in 2017, we didn’t know if our business would work but we had an unwavering belief in our ability to solve and persevere. We knew after a lot of market research that our product was original and useful and just needed to get it in front of as many people as possible!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Run by wife and husband team, Allie and Güven Arpaci (while raising 3 kids under 4!), Together Textiles designs a sustainably-made line using traditional weaving techniques passed down four generations using antique looms in Turkey. The extra-long cotton fibers contribute to superior quality and longevity, with a stronger and smoother thread making the Turkish towels and robes ultra soft, absorbent, durable, quick-drying, and naturally hypoallergenic.

Authentically designed from organic Turkish cotton, Turkish towels are multi use companions at home for the bath, or a cozy throw blanket, and on-the-go ready as a warm wrap/scarf. Take the lightweight towels from the house to the stroller, picnic, festival, and everything in between.

Comfy-luxe robes effortlessly transition your loungewear wardrobe from summer to winter to summer again. Made from Together Textile’s bestselling toweling material, each robe is as cozy as it is absorbent, lightweight and luxurious. Available in sizes for adults and kids, Together Textiles will have the whole family lounging in comfort year round.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Together Textiles officially launched in February 2018 after our first born unexpectedly passed away. Guven and I were both working full time jobs and wanted to fill up the rest of our free time with something that would excite us. We began researching Amazon and originally planned to grow our business there! After a few months of very little sales, we knew it was time to pivot to in person sales to test our products in front of more people.

Our first few markets and fleas were not very successful, barely covering cost, but we were determined to learn from each experience which led us to attend Cleveland Flea winter 2017. It was a 3 day show and we nearly sold out all of our products on day 1! It was exhilarating and so much fun. From there, we decided to target more weekend markets in 2018 to continue to understand how to best serve our customers. By winter 2018, a week before my 30th birthday, we both quit our jobs and decided to give everything to selling Together Textiles for the holiday season.

We told ourselves that at any moment, we could decide to go back and get jobs (if necessary) so the risk didn’t seem as great. At the start of 2019, we set out to expand our reach and traveled coast to coast in a van with our 1 year old (while pregnant) and attended 46 markets! It was amazing what we could accomplish when we focused solely on our own business.

Have you ever had to pivot?

If you’ve ever been a vendor at a market or flea, you will know how much physical and emotional work it is. As I stated before, we attended 46 markets in 2019. I had ran a promotion for 10% off in person purchases if the customer followed us on Instagram so that I could grow our social media following.

We wanted to pivot to online sales, build a website, etc. but didn’t have the time or energy to do it while growing our family AND in person business attending so many markets and traveling. At the start of 2020, we made the biggest investment at the time and hired a graphic designer to help realize our vision in the digital world. We didn’t know it at the time, but this investment allowed us to persevere through the pandemic of 2020!

With a beautiful website, product photos, organized inventory, and help from our family, we were able to sell online and make money during the global shutdown. We sent out postcards, marketed on social media, and called all of our friends to purchase cozy loungewear while they worked from home! Our amazing customers showed up for us and we grew our online business.

It was perfect timing for the online pivot, and the perfect products for the stay-at-home life of 2020. We felt confident we were on the right track.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.togethertextiles.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/togethertextiles
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/togethertextiles

Image Credits
Steph Sheldon Avi Loren Fox