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

Alright, Jason thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The Magic City Mural Festival in the Woodlawn Neighborhood is the project I am most proud. It started as a simple favor for a high school student looking for a spot to paint a mural in the neighborhood. My business Cottage Noir partnered with a female owned mural business, Blank Space, to make this mural happen. While planning, we decided to think really big and make this project much more impactful.

While searching for a wall, we stumbled upon an old, forgotten alleyway which was in rough condition which was ripe for improvement. We decided to paint the entire alley. We also wanted the art to have a purpose and meaning. The Woodlawn community has always relied heavily on the matriarchs of the community, so we saw this as an opportunity to show our appreciation by dedicating the festival to them, In addition, this festival was exclusively for female artists.

The original festival was planned for 2020, but Covid caused delays. However, we were able to complete 12 murals and a branding wall in the past three years. We are currently landscaping and hope to have an official ribbon cutting for the space this spring.

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 back background and context?

I have been conducting research in Public Health for a quarter decade. However, I have always needed an escape from the world of numbers and surveys, so my love of cooking, design and entertaining led me to finally invest in my talents and Cottage Noir was born. Inspired by the painstaking renovation of my 110-year-old house, Cottage Noir is a lifestyle business which finds the intersection of fashion, food, design and drink. So far, I have produced an earring line, provided South East Indian catering, and provide specialty , craft cocktails for any occasion.

The main thing folks need to know about Cottage Noir is that each client is truly seen as unique. For example, craft cocktails are not ordered from a menu. I personally do a consult and create a special drink which matches the client and the occasion.

With Cottage Noir, you don’t have to be fancy. We find beauty and opulence in everyday life. Our motto is everyday life elevated!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I had a nice following on my personal social media, but it was tricky to get folks to move to my business accounts. Then I realized that I was sharing too much of the same content on most sites. Initially, I made a plea for all my contacts to follow my business site and there was some success. I have also used giveaways and communicating personally with each new follower. These tactics have helped. But at the end of the day, it is about reaching folks where they are. So now I perceive all my social media , personal or business, as an opportunity for contact.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

My business has been completely self-funded. I have been blessed to have a stable career for many years which gives me the luxury of being a bit riskier. I came up with a launch budget which included anticipated losses until the idea gained traction. Part of the budget provided for providing services pro bono as part of promotion. This has resulted in many paid gigs. This has also given me the opportunity to grow organically and test many facets of Cottage Noir

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cottagenoir149/ https://www.instagram.com/jasonavery009/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jason.avery.9699/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-avery-58b1a084/