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

Nikki, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

When I first moved to Atlanta, my background was in education. I spent 15 years teaching Art to students through APS and private tutoring and helping them channel their inner creativity. I was passionate about what I was doing but it also took time away from my personal journey. I always had one foot in and one foot out in fashion. In 2019, I decided that 2020 was going to be my year. That was the year that I decided to start my business, but that was also the year the pandemic unexpectedly happened. And then everything shut down, life felt as if it was on pause. But me being me, I decided to take advantage of the time that I was given to sit with myself and decide what I wanted to do. All I had was social media. I started posting clothes from my own personal closet and my storage unit. I didn’t know if it was a good idea to start a business during the pandemic but I had nothing to lose. I literally took a gamble and put all my money into myself.

I painted the wall in my apartment to match my brand and started taking product photos of my friends wearing my clothes. By April 1st I posted my first item for sale on my Instagram @EverythangDope. The more photos I took and posted, the more I noticed sales started to increase. I was the newest popping vintage store in ATL, but no one knew it was me. I never put my face on the brand. For months, my vintage store did numbers on Instagram and nobody knew it was me until I started doing pop-ups around the city. But I planned it that way. I was able to gather people’s honest reactions before they knew who was running the show.

When things started to open back up, my pop-ups were crazy. I built such a huge rapport from my Instagram following, people couldn’t wait to catch me in the city. Shopping with us became addictive. I found myself now sharing what I do best with the world. My genuine love for people helped set me apart. My art went from canvas to clothing with my custom upcycling which really blew my customers’ minds. One thing for sure, I didn’t realize popups were going to be so intense. It looked good but it was a lot of setting up and breaking down several days a week. I like bringing a specific vibe, so my popups gave off a comfy nostalgic living room feel. I had to keep them coming back.

By this point, Everythang Dope already has a huge social and community presence, but I needed more though. I had merch ideas. I decided to let the cat out the bag, that it was ME! Darling Nikki, that was behind the brand that everybody is talking about right now. So I decided to just make myself the logo. When November 21′ hit, I found my assistant who was literally God-sent. At this time I was so close to a breakdown. I mean, Business is going great but I’m drowning in DMs, emails, and appointments, and still no finished website,

Together we came up with new merch ideas, built up the website which literally saved my life and my business. Now, we can accept online sales. With the new website came new opportunities and new money. Shortly after opening up the site, I was accepted into the Village Micro Fund grant program, where I became the first-prize winner. It was one of the greatest gifts I had received since opening Everythang Dope and not to mention a real confidence boost! The grant money allowed us to open up my brick-and-mortar at Ponce City Market. I couldn’t feel more blessed. Since opening our doors, our store has received non-stop traffic. We quickly became ATLs top and most talked about 80s and 90s vintage experience.
Everythang Dope quickly became a community staple and we’re just getting started.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My Name is Darling Nikki and I’m from old Atlanta, but I was born in VA. I moved here in 1999, and I brought my visual art with me. As a creative, I’m a born musician and pretty much a person who just creates dope s#!t. I was known for my singing in performing in Atlanta for many years but these days I’m known in the community for being well-rounded. The problem I solve for clients is boosting their confidence. I give everyone a platform to experience new fashion and the nostalgic era of the 80s and 90s. I see myself as ATLs retail therapist. Everyone who walks through my doors is treated like family we talk, share laughs, and grow closer beyond just business. Everybody loves Nikki.

What sets me apart is that I have a gift where people simply gravitate to me and they trust me. I’m genuine, authentic, and real. My creativity and my gifts are all I’ve got, so I’m passionate about what I do. I’ll help anyone, it’s not always about making money. I’m quick to lend a helping hand because no one should be without. I have helped people who couldn’t afford clothes Style their shoot and asked only for a tag on posts. Everybody wins here at Everythang Dope.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I’m old school so, to be honest social media wasn’t really my thing. But in this day and age, everything is social media driven. I had to give the people what they wanted, They wanted visuals and I delivered. I gave them my day-to-day. I let my audience see my work and the process. I made a habit of connecting with people, asking questions, and discovering what people wanted to see and wanted to buy. Content. I sought out the city’s dopest models who I thought complimented my brand. All of these things were a must if I wanted to be successful. I posted my zoom calls with my assistant and showed my audience every part of this dope journey.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I treat my customers like family. I give everyone the same vibe every time. I’m consistent. Anyone who walks through my doors isn’t just a number or a dollar sign, they become part of the community. All of my clients get to know me on a personal level and that is what sets Everythang Dope apart. I’m invited to hang out outside of work, and my customers have literally become one huge friend group!

Contact Info:

• Website: everythangdope.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythangdope
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EveryThangDope/photos/

Image Credits
@phyllis.iller