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

Hi Daisha, thanks for joining us today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

Early on with Trinkets and Such I realized it was the brand activations that I curated for myself – were the most successful. These pop experiences created a buzz for my brand. The first couple of soirées were in my small midtown apartment. And then I thought deeper into my craft-from a customer stand point and then started incorporating a LIVE element that my patrons felt apart of. I was hand stamping metal jewelry pieces on the spot – they could watch me make the their custom piece and be apart of that ! Mixture of our brand sound & high energy & a room worth working . Many began looking forward to those experiences …and still do.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Hello all, I’m Daisha Nychelle McKenzie a native Detroiter. And since day 1 , I’ve been a lover of all things style, fashion & people. My study in apparels textiles & merchandising from Eastern Michigan University led me to being an apparel & footwear buyer for an organization here in Metro Detroit – they do big multi million dollar sneaker & streetwear business. This dual role as buyer & merchandiser gave me corporate yet small business exposure right out the gate.

I’ve worked for quite a few BIG small businesses over the last 15 years and very grateful to have learned & polished my innate skill set with strong brands in retail & fashion. I’ve been able to grow in management & team leading with them as well. I assisted these organizations in curating in store collections & product mixes to generate revenue, and displays to attract buyers, helped develop company culture, streamlined processes, lead teams with highest sales and elevated service.

In my personal professional career-these skilled rolled over into my brand Trinkets and Such – wanting to create a brand with a solid foundation is my life’s work. Trinkets and Such is a stylish gift shop. Where the lady that loves stylish things can express herself beyond her closet with home goods, and accessories & stylish gifts.

Being able to create positive brand experiences such as our LIVE stamping parties is the foundation to the brand. We’ve been apart of some amazing collaborations & partnerships over the years and can’t wait to experience more !

My husband Devin and I both have small businesses and we realized that there were a shortage of places that we could create a consistent presence out side of our successful pop ups and holiday markets. In 2019, we teamed up combining our skill set- to open By Popular Demand The Collective retail space- that is perfect for other small product based businesses to sell, promote, incubate, nurture & grow their existing brands. This retail space allows me to put every skill to use everyday .

Owning & operating a retail space during COVID -19 era was a challenge but we came together to implement strategies to help boost the entrepreneur economy . My husband Devin and I are both immensely creative at marketing, customer service & customer experiences and I am most proud to fulfill this community purpose with him everyday! BPD is a magical place And I love it here !!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My journey is unique. My husband and I were expecting our baby girl Marlee in 2019 and we were faced with ultimate tragedy of her coming early but not being able to take her home from the hospital. That experience really showed me that I am stronger than I ever imagined . And it may not have been the best thing at all but I pushed through the following week and still hosted my brand’s holiday sorieeé! All the details were set and promoted for a cute to-do brand activation at the Detroit Foundation Hotel , downtown. My angel Marlee gave me, us, the strength to keep pushing & make this life count. We celebrated her and Trinkets and Such that night. It was one of my most memorable and amazing nights . I’m so grateful for my love & support that day . I’ll always remember. And I pull from that source bank daily .

Have you ever had to pivot?

The art of the pivot – that’s where I am in life & in business right now. With Covid – we had to reimagine and reassemble. The life of business and small businesses even more was so questionable – what do we do – how do we service & sell? How do we survive ? It was even more imperative that Devin and I finally launch By Popular Demand. The coming together , the collective effort is one of the key elements so many businesses are able to stay a float, continue production, and make sales. For us, creating this safe space for brands to continue to make money, touch the customers and make lasting impressions. We knew what was going to keep the community alive during a time where everyone was waiting on things to go back to normal – but no , we made a NEW WAY to retail . To push and expose your business . It’s a magical place I swear . You have to come visit us in Detroit : 2863 E Grand Blvd. In the Milwaukee Junction North End area!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.trinketsandsuch.com www.bpdthecollective.com
• Instagram: @trinketsandsuch_ @bpdthecollective

Image Credits
@iamalishanicole @e_shot_that @positiveimagesonly @sojididit