Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Micaela Chappelle. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Micaela , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Ms. Capri’s Unique Apparel & Gifts was an idea after I became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and attended my first national conference for the sorority. I was amazed at all of the vendors who showcased mostly any item you could think of with the sorority marks. This idea was put on the backburner when I relocated to Michigan in 2010. I still believed it would be a good idea to do what I had seen at those conferences and back home in Chicago where stores for this target market are throughout the city. However, after becoming familiar with my new home in Michigan, I began looking for clothing and items for my sorority to purchase for myself. That is when I found out there were no local stores for my sorority and the other eight organizations that make up the nine Historically Black Fraternities and Sororities known as the Divine Nine. These nine organizations are within the National Pan Hellenic Council (NPHC) and consists of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. These organizations were formed as a result of African American students not being able to join other organizations at private white institutions and to create social change. These organizations play a pivotal role in society and in local communities. There is a pride that members have when they are able to wear those colors and letters that represent the rich culture of their organization. So when I found out members in West Michigan and Mid-Michigan were traveling to larger cities such as Detroit or Chicago to buy items or simply waiting until a conference was held in their area to purchase new items, I knew this had to change. I knew I could easily go back home to Chicago and shop for sorority items for myself, but knowing this was affecting many students and alumni statewide roughly 10,000 members, had my wheels spinning again with the idea.

Micaela , 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?

I am a mother of two amazing children; an 18 year old son in college at Tennessee State University and an 8 year old daughter, who aspires to be an entrepreneur as well. After completing my Bachelor’s and Master’s in social work, I wanted to use my 9-5 as a therapist to fund this amazing idea. Solving problems is my niche and this was definitely a longstanding problem in West and Mid-Michigan. What I have come to know recently is that this is a problem throughout the state of Michigan. College itself is expensive and while the members provide money and community service in their efforts to help others, I am providing them with the clothing and materials they need to continue those same efforts. My business is hoping to continue obtaining vendor licenses with these organizations as they continue to do much needed work in the community.

In 2019, I stopped entertaining the idea and put action behind it when I registered my business with the state of Michigan and completed an entrepreneurship cohort with Spring GR in Grand Rapids. I also became licensed with the four sororities of the Divine Nine which allowed me to create and sell items for the organizations. I am in my third year of business and feel as though I am just getting started. I am looking forward to opening a retail location in the Lansing mall in 2023 and continue traveling across the country to the numerous events I have been invited to for these organizations.

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

Funding my business was definitely a challenge. Obtaining capital from different sources such as bank loans and grants can be a challenge for small businesses especially for minority business owners and minority women business owners. I purchased my first vendor license with my sorority in December, 2019. My goal was to only provide clothing for my sorority as I knew it was expensive to purchase licenses for all nine organizations. However, I remembered my original goal was to provide for each organization and this revved up my passion again. By 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, I was able to obtain another license with another sorority. This allowed me to attend virtual events for both groups. With funds I earned from events, I was able to purchase inventory and save funds to go towards future licenses. By 2021, I earned the revenue to fund the licenses for the two additional sororities within the Divine Nine.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I started my business in 2019 right before the Covid-19 pandemic. I planned to attend events on a state and national level. Plans were made but did not work out this way. By March 2020, I was heartbroken as I thought my business would flop. However, I wanted to see how long I could keep things in operation before having to make a decision to close my business. By June 2020, I received multiple invitations to participate in virtual events. This allowed me to pivot using virtual platforms to showcase my business. I was able to continue with virtual events throughout the pandemic. As in-person events have returned, I have been able to travel throughout the state of Michigan and the country to do as I initially planned.

Contact Info:

• Website: Mscapriuniqueapparel.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/Mscapriuniqueapparel
• Facebook: Facebook.com/mscapriuniqueapparel

Image Credits
Natalie Milhouse Doug Sims