We were lucky to catch up with Carla Bailey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carla, appreciate you joining us today. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?

My parents Emmie and Harry are my heroes! As a kid growing up you think of them as mom and dad, but as you enter adulthood you understand more and more the strength, integrity, and fortitude that it took for them to raise a family and be proud African Americans. Being raised in the South, my parents shielded me from the evil racism we faced as kids and unfortunately what I still face now as an African-American on a daily basis. My parents taught me not to judge people by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. They taught me a serious work ethic. My Mother exuded a royal presence, she was a virtuous woman, a modern-day B.Smith/Martha Stewart, verbally direct but soft-spoken. My Father was a World War -2 Veteran, part-time entrepreneur, a retiree of Southern Railroad and Eastern Airlines. I didn’t understand it until I became an entrepreneur, but everything I am is because of my parents. They are now both deceased but the legacy lives on even in our granddaughter named after her great grandmother. Emmie-London is now four years old and I’m proud to say she has her own e-commerce business called Pretty Princess Beauty and Accessories (https://prettyprincessba.com). I hope my journey will continue to be a great influence on her.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Carla Bailey. I am a native Atlantan. I started my entrepreneur journey when I was a teenager but had no idea I was headed in that direction. I have been a lifelong lover of fashion and I grew up in a fashion-centric home. I slept, ate, and breathed it. I graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in Marketing and also began to model professionally. The business began as a hobby just to make extra money and my hobby kept growing. I had a sort of Mary-Kay strategy where I would hang out with friends and family and sell accessories. I named it Carla’s Boutique Accessories Collection. I started doing festivals, farmer’s markets, art shows, and concerts- anywhere I could set up and sell. In the meantime, I met my husband Thom and we had four wonderful kids – Sarai, Seth, Faith, and Jared. As our kids grew up they began to help with my hobby and it was a family affair. Most entrepreneurs have a big vision, however, I didn’t consider myself a business owner, but by the grace of God, I began to think maybe I could try. As God destined, my first retail location Carla’s Boutik opened in 2013 in College Park, Georgia so this name change reflected my uniqueness. Carla’s Boutik is an experiential E-commerce/brick-and-mortar platform using an eclectic mix of fashion, art, and beauty from around the globe. We share, explore and embrace cultural diversity through authenticity, inclusivity, and sustainability promoting a more cohesive society. We carry handmade, one-of-a-kind, and specialty goods from local and international artisans. Upholding standards of fair wage and fair trade with each collaboration we give back to the community/organization that are our partners. Opening our eyes to see that we are all intertwined one with the other. Our offerings include but are not limited to a selection of women’s and men’s apparel, accessories, art, and beauty products focusing on clean healthy ingredients.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In March of 2020 and the onset of Covid 19 in the USA, caused me to close my brick and mortar location in College Park, Georgia. I was really devastated after 8 years of having to say goodbye to the area. I felt so lost, in addition, I was diagnosed with the novel Coronavirus. By GOD’s grace, I recovered but the business was hanging in limbo. Again, recovering from Covid and losing a space that was like a family member to me was not easy. I had to wrestle with myself not to give up. I needed a new strategy and the big pivot to online was the option. We needed to be in a position where we could continue to operate if we ever faced pandemic-like conditions again and continue catering to my clients. Prior to the pandemic, I had an online presence but not an online e-commerce store. It was all new territory and it has been an uphill battle. I kept chipping away and kept my faith and I am now on Shopify ( www.carlasboutik.com) and a new brick and mortar is in the works.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

E-commerce was an unnerving pivot for me. I was accustomed to meeting people, building a relationship, and offering my wares in person. The transition has taken time but Shopify helped ease a lot of pain. I had to gain knowledge on how to set up the site but once I began to understand I was more confident. Shopify is the best platform to use for new online businesses. The setup is easy. It integrates well with Facebook, Instagram, and Google. Just make sure the third-party platforms are set up correctly if not you will have to spend extra time working through the kinks. Customer service is amazing. Shopify has chat, email, and call back. All three are efficient and the agents take time to answer every question. However, the main customer service agents can only advise on third-party apps. There is another team that will answer by email in a more thorough and timely manner. Overall, Shopify I think is the best e-commerce platform for new online business owners.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carlasboutik.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlasboutik
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carlasboutik
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-bailey-a36984101
• Other: https://prettyprincessba.com