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

Gracie , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

When I started Hello Gorgeous in high school, almost 8 years ago now, I had no idea how far it would bring me let alone the relationships it would create and experiences it would give me. As far as my mission goes it has always been the same but has only grown in importance over the years, to reach my community and spread positivity. My goal has always been affordability as well as quality. I want my customers to be able to shop my products and not have to be torn between what to get because they can afford to get what they want. I also want to sell these affordable products at a standard that I would appreciate as a consumer. I want my products to last and have durability as well as have a level of uniqueness. Besides providing an affordable, quality product, I want my customers to have an experience when they come in to the vendor mall and shop my products. I have always sought a connection with my customers because I genuinely care and want them to know that appreciate their support more than they will ever understand. Having conversations, creating an atmosphere with music, good scents and contagious positivity creates that experience that I want my customers to remember when they walk out the door. Hospitality, kindness and connection are some things that our world has forgotten but these simple things are so valuable and are what nurture relationships with people, real people in our communities. That being said, as far as my mission goes, I always aim to put a smile on someone’s face who maybe has not had the best week, make a little girls day because she can buy a $2 pair of earrings with her allowance money, or create a friendship at the checkout counter because love, connection, and positive relationships are what will cure our broken world.

Gracie , 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?

For those who may not know me, my name is Gracie Johnson! I am 21 years old, I have a bachelors degree in Fashion Design and Product Development, I have been married to my amazing husband for just over a year, and I am the mama to a 4 month old baby girl! I am the owner of Hello Gorgeous, Hello Gorgeous; KIDS, and half owner of The Village: Vendor Mall. I started Hello Gorgeous in high school to make a buck, selling things I would sew in my free time to my friends. I then moved on to selling on Instagram, then at the local Farmers Market and Facebook. I would attend every craft show I could while I was in college trying to get my name out there. The year of 2020 did amazing things for my business, unlike many others, I was extremely blessed. I was able to make and donate/sell over 3,800 face masks during the PPE crisis at the start of COVID-19. This really got my name out there and helped my business out financially. After mask sales slowed down, I was able to focus on my accessories, my main seller. I made faux leather earrings at first then I expanded into faux leather and charm earrings, then I began to make bead bracelets and I only expanded from there. Now I continue to make most of my earrings and I continue to make my bracelets. I also sell other accessory and gift items such as fabric book marks, key rings, rings, etc.
I have also expanded Hello Gorgeous into Hello Gorgeous: KIDS as well. My sister and I have always wanted to own a boutique together and we saw the need for a kids boutique in my vendor mall so we took the opportunity and started Hello Gorgeous: KIDS. We sell items for newborn up to teenagers including clothes, hair accessories, toys, linens, shoes and more. My favorite part is that I get to do something I love so much with my best friend, my sister. Finally, I opened up The Village at the end of 2022 with my grandma. I have always wanted my product in a store front but being a small business it is hard to occupy a large space on my own. So, with my farmers market/ craft show background we decided to have others help fill the space, including my grandma who sells her own goods!
At the end of the day it worked out perfect. The community has responded amazing, and we have so much fun doing it!
Being my own boss is something I am very proud of and love doing. It is a big risk of course and there is not always a lot of certainty, but I’m happy and in my opinion, that is all that matters.

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

When I was in college I was operating my business full time as well. It was hard but so worth it. Although, I went through a dry spell where it seemed like no matter what I did, what I made, what I put out there, nothing would sell. It did not matter how many craft shows I attended, how many posts I made, people were not buying hardly anything, and man was that discouraging and man did I just want to throw my hands up and quit. I am so glad I didn’t. I kept going. I kept posting, kept going to shows, kept pushing and staying up late to make more product and improve the areas my business lacked and it paid off. That season ended and sales started happening again, I started getting traction and things were looking up. That being said, there will be periods of time where your business may struggle, or you may have people that don’t believe in your mission, but that’s ok, it is only a season and there are brighter days ahead, just keep going.

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

Reputation is a very strong word. I am a small business owner in a small town in Texas. Not only was it hard to get off the ground, but it is so hard to keep people talking about you and your business. That being said, in order to create a “reputation” in my community, I made something that was hard to forget. First, I made masks, and sold them for cheaper than you could get them anywhere else at a quality standard that matched a higher price point, that was memorable for a lot of people who had a hard time affording disposable masks or the expensive ones online. In general I price my products, like my earrings at a price where I am not unchanging more than they can afford. I am charging just enough to make profit and enough that people can come in a buy 5+ pairs at a time because they are so affordable, that is memorable. So yes, reputation is a big word but if you navigate your consumer in the appropriate way, you will have no problem remaining “relevant”.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellogorgeous8701/ AND https://www.instagram.com/the_village_shops/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellogorgeous8701 AND https://www.facebook.com/thevillagevendors/ AND https://www.facebook.com/hellogorgeouskids/