We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christina Smiley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Christina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Selfie museums are a fast growing business in America right now. Something that we do differently from others in the industry is offer intimate date nights on our beautiful rooftop. It definitely sets us apart from other businesses like ours. Also, our space is smaller than most other Selfie places which we wanted it to be a more intimate setting and not to feel overwhelmed with so many selfie rooms. It’s about the memories you create with the people you love. The pictures you take are just a bonus. We also designed it more like a “selfie art gallery”.

Christina, 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?

Take a Shot Selfie Museum was birthed through the minds of 2 cousins. Shavaughn Collins and Christina Smiley. Shavaughn had the idea of starting a selfie museum for a long time before she asked Christina if she would like to join forces. Christina being an extremely creative person didn’t think twice and said yes! Within 2 months the pair and found a space and opened their business. It took 20 hour a day conversations and working around the clock but it got done. Take a Shot offers general admission as well as group rates, date nights, and much more.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

We met at birth! Lol! We have always been extremely close as family, running a business together has made us sisters. People assume you can’t do business with family but we prove everyday that is not true . We have our disagreements like people do but we vowed to always see the bigger picture through it all. We are so proud of each other and we are so glad we have each other to go through this journey with.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Being the first selfie museum in Baltimore City definitely helped to build our reputation as well as word of mouth. Word of mouth is so powerful! When clients come in and see the space they are so blown away and in awe. Most of the time they are already video chatting with a loved one before they have even started telling them how much they love it and that they should come immediately! We also do ads on social media to ensure we are getting our name out there.

Contact Info:

• Website: www. takeashotbaltimore.com
• Instagram: @takeashotbmore
• Facebook: takeashotbmore

Image Credits
Images shot by @gillsgallery