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

Shakita, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

I think vacations are the perfect way to relax, recharge and gain new inspiration. I love traveling because I get to see how other cultures live and love. I love my hometown of Washington, D.C. but I’m truly a nomad at heart. There’s a sense of freedom in being able to travel and I don’t take it for granted. Running a business can be stressful so vacation is essential at times.

Shakita, 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?

The idea for Fibs & Fables is a hair accessory line that came from my love for fashion and the desire to create more diversity amongst the hair space. After attending college part-time for art history for about two years, I finally decided in 2014 that it just wasn’t for me. I felt like my path was different. I decided to work full-time instead, become a fashion blogger and travel.

So in 2019, I created Fibs & Fables that embraced it all. As a Black woman, hair is a huge part of my identity and I’ve always had fun with it so hair accessories felt like a natural space for me to go into. I wanted to create a space for all textures to be celebrated because no other hair accessory brand was doing it at the time. I love adorning all types of waves and curls while showing representation.

The name “Fibs & Fables” is inspired by mythology, fables and folklore. Our collections at Fibs and Fables emanate and evoke the depths of storytelling. Each narrative-themed piece captures a story of the untold, representing legends to tales, powerful women and more. I want to kill the ‘fib’ that textured hair isn’t attractive and use hair adornment to uplift!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that I needed to ‘have it all together’ before launching. When starting a business it is true that you need to have a few specific things in place for legal reasons but besides that there’s no reason to stall. It’s easy to get caught up in your head about everything being perfect. You should be thoughtful and creative but there is only so much you can control. It’s okay to start small and to make mistakes, you won’t learn or grow otherwise. Being an entrepreneur is not easy but it doesn’t HAVE to be hard either. Just give yourself grace and take the leap.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

Right now, Fibs & Fables is only available on our website. My original reasoning for this was to avoid having to hand over a percentage of sales for using other platforms. However, I am considering platforms like Amazon and Etsy because they are great for brand awareness and we would reach a larger audience. In addition, I’ve also been contacted by local salons and larger retailers about wholesale opportunities so that is in the pipeline as well. Timing is everything and these are undertakings better suited for next year. Fibs & Fables is still a small business so we need time to prepare but the future is looking very bright!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fibsandfables.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/fibsandfables
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShopFibsandFables/
• Other: Tiktok: @fibsandfables

Image Credits
Photographer: Whitney Ingram