We were lucky to catch up with Nikki Harris recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nikki thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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?

I didn’t start with a business plan — I started with an idea and a feeling.
The idea had been in my head for years, but when the pandemic hit and everything shut down, I didn’t go back to work. I was at home, I had time, I had clothes, and I had this vision I couldn’t shake anymore. So one day I just decided: I’m going to do it. Even without money. Even without knowing anyone else who was doing it.
The very next step was physical. I cleared space in my apartment in West End Pittsburgh and treated it like a store. I pulled pieces from my personal collection, set up a rack and a table, and started curating what felt like my room growing up — hip-hop, pop culture, nostalgia, all in one place.
Then I leaned on my community. I invited friends over, asked them to help me take photos, model, and spread the word. Nobody got paid in the beginning — people just believed in the idea and showed up. I promoted it online, invited people to come through, and they did. That was my first real confirmation that the vision worked outside of my head.
From there, everything was step by step. I had to figure out sourcing, pricing, and how to tell the story of the store — not just sell clothes, but create an experience. I researched what was already out there, and when I didn’t see my vision represented, I leaned into that even harder. I trusted my instincts as an artist.
There was no big launch moment. It was more like momentum. One pop-up turned into another, word started spreading, and I kept reinvesting whatever I made back into the business. I learned as I went — what people responded to, how the space should feel, and how to stay true to the culture I was inspired by.
Everythang happened kind of fast, but it wasn’t perfect, but it was real. I moved from idea to execution by starting small, using what I already had, and allowing the business to grow organically. That’s still how I move today — one idea, one step, one experience at a time.

Nikki, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Nikki: a born artist, creator, and the founder of Everythang Dope. Before anything else, I’ve always been an artist. I’m a musician, a painter, and a lifelong lover of fashion and hip-hop culture. Vintage wasn’t something I “got into” later — it was always part of my life. I grew up collecting clothes, pulling inspiration from ’80s and ’90s hip-hop, pop culture, and the TV shows and music that raised me. That era shaped my eye, my taste, and my creativity.
Everythang Dope was born at the intersection of all of that. I didn’t see a space in Atlanta that fully reflected my vision. I saw something rooted in hip-hop and pop culture, but curated like an art experience. So I created it.
At its core, Everythang Dope is an experience-driven vintage brand. We offer pre-loved, re-loved vintage clothing and accessories from the ’80s and ’90s, along with pop-ups, community activations, workshops, and creative collaborations. But more than selling clothes, we create moments. When people walk into our space, I want it to feel like stepping into a memory — like being back in your favorite room growing up, surrounded by music, culture, and energy that feels familiar and exciting at the same time.
What sets us apart is intention. Everything is curated through the lens of an artist. I’m not chasing trends — I’m preserving culture. I approach the store the same way I approach a canvas or a song. The layout, the pieces, the music, the details — it all tells a story. We’re not just reselling vintage; we’re giving it context and life again.
I’m especially proud of building this brand without outside funding and with the support of my community. Friends volunteering their time, customers turning into supporters, and supporters turning into family — that’s been the foundation of Everythang Dope from day one. It’s proof that you don’t need everything figured out to start, you just need belief, vision, and consistency.
What I want people to know is that Everythang Dope is bigger than clothing. It’s about honoring hip-hop and pop culture, creating access to nostalgia, and showing what’s possible when creativity leads. Whether you’re a customer, a collaborator, or just someone passing through, I want you to feel inspired — like you’re part of something living, growing, and rooted in culture.
This brand is my art. And I’m still creating.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Honestly, I didn’t start with investors, loans, or a big stack of cash. Everything came out of my own pocket, and even that was barely enough. Even though I was just getting started, this was my full-time job — I was putting all my time and energy into creating the scene I wanted people to see. I knew if I wanted to take it further, I’d need capital, but I didn’t have it yet.

I started making a little money through pop-ups and by getting a position at Posse Market and Citizen Supply. Back then, Citizen Supply was a consignment setup — a bunch of small businesses shared one register, and the store took a cut. I was making a little every month from my sales, but honestly, most of it went straight back into the business. I wasn’t profiting much, but I was learning how to run a retail space and build a presence.

Then Citizen Supply shut down its consignment model abruptly, which left me at a pause for a couple of months. Around the same time, I joined a small business cohort — kind of like a Shark Tank-style competition — where the prize was grant money. I really needed that money, because I had no investors, no loans, no outside support. Just me and my idea.

While I was in the cohort, Citizen’s Supply reached back out. They were revamping the space and letting people lease individually instead of consigning. I was the first person they called, and I jumped on it. But honestly? I had no idea where the money to cover the lease and set up the store was coming from.

That’s when a friend stepped in and offered to loan me a few thousand dollars. With her support, I was able to cover my initial setup — registrations, money orders, basic store needs — and move into the space on Black Friday 2021. A week later, I pitched my business in the cohort competition and won the grant from the MicroVillage Fund. That win helped me pay back my friend almost immediately and gave me the capital I needed to keep growing.

So my initial funding was really a mix of resourcefulness, community support, and determination. I had an idea, I hustled, I leaned on people I trusted, and I put everything I could into making it real. That’s how Everythang Dope got its start.

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

When I first started, it was during the pandemic. I wanted to launch something, but I also wanted real, honest reactions from people. So I created the business and put out marketing materials, had all my friends help with photos, but nobody knew it was actually my business. Even some people close to me didn’t know.

At first, I didn’t attach my face to it. The business was like a ghost, coming from nowhere. People loved it, but they didn’t know who was behind it. That’s when it really started to pop. Once I decided to show up and reveal that it was my business, the hype went next-level. People already liked it before they even knew whose it was, so the reactions were genuine. That’s when I knew I had something authentic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://everythangdope.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythangdope/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EveryThangDope/

Image Credits

Everythang Dope
Chilly-O
Pilar Linares