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

Sharoya, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

Thrifting started off as a fun, relaxing hobby I would do on Saturdays. Before I knew it, I would become influential amongst my peers and even strangers. People would ask where did I shop and how they could get it. I couldn’t wait for the chance to tell them. I was also the friend everyone would call for fashion advice whether we were going out, had a date, or planning a trip. This brought me so much life. People would ask why didn’t I do styling for a living, at the time I thought it would be so complicated. Once I was able to map out my vision, I began to feel motivated to launch a blog first. With the help of friends, I started the blog called Imprettythrifty. The mission in creating this blog was to focus on finding styles that were all $10 and under, post about them, and give helpful advice on how to shop. I was even taking people personal shopping for free…so many people were like “why are you not charging”. I sought advice from business owners and close friends on how I should go about charging for my services. I would ask around, questions like would you pay for a service like this? I also had a few test clients so I would know exactly how to prepare for personal shopping. I was also focused on capturing what they liked or dis-liked, their fashion inspirations, what their body types were, and their discomforts. At that time I created a style profile for each client. This is a tool I use while I’m out shopping for each client. About a year later, Imprettythrifty officially turned into an entire business venture that included personal shopping, style consulting, and closet makeovers. From then on, doors were opened that provided so many opportunities for me to be a featured stylist at fashion shows, model unique pieces from different vendors, and style more high-end fashion clients.

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

I fell in love with thrifting at a very young age, even though that really wasn’t the “cool thing” to do at that time. I really didn’t fully grasp the concept until I was in my 20’s. What some might call cheap shopping became an art for me. It gave me a space to feel trendless, it sparked originality and creativity, and I felt I could express my true self through fashion than ever before. All the while it also built my confidence; it didn’t matter what people thought, as long as I loved the clothes I was in, and most importantly loved the skin I was in, I could not be shaken.

What is the bottom-line for why Imprettythrifty exists? It’s bigger than fashion and pictures for me. It tells a story, it serves, and impacts. On a day to day I engage with so many people who say “they could never wear that”, or “I just couldn’t do that because of my body type”, and sometimes even body-shaming themselves. It bothers me so much to hear those things. I desire to understand their body types and style preferences so that I could use that information to find items that compliment them well…helping them feel like they could wear anything and feel fabulous in it! I realized then that this brand represented confidence and self-love. One of my biggest passions is helping people, young and old, feel confident in what they wear without having to break the bank. Through Imprettythrifty, I am able to do just that!

The services I provide are personal shopping (with or without client), Shop Your Closet (creating new looks with items you already have), photoshoot styling, and closet reorganizing.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I always say “I am a walking brand”. To me this means when I walk out of my home whether it’s to work, church, family functions, etc…I am representing Imprettythrifty. I don’t want it to look or sound as though I am trying to dress to impress all of the time. I can see how that may be interpreted as its always a fashion show the moment I walk out of the house. (lol) Its not, its just a feeling or expression I have when preparing a look or style for that day. I often get visions or come across inspirations on social media or even watching tv…and I’m like oh yes, I love that concept, but let me make it my own. So on a day to day while I’m out I’ll get stopped and someone would compliment my outfit, from the youngest to the oldest. So immediately I go into my 30sec elevator speech about how this look was thrifted and how much it cost. I’ll tell them to pull their phones out and follow me on social media…on a good day I’ll even show some of my work. Another thing that’s important to me, is making connections. I love the relationships I have with certain thrift shops. I make sure to tag them in my posts and they’ll repost me as well. I love walking into a place and hearing someone say “hey Imprettythrifty”! But point is, being in this market, I am my brand. In every aspect of my life, it represents the very thing I am trying to sell or market with Imprettythrifty, and that is style and grace, confidence, and affordable fashion.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a creative for me is watching the vision come to life. I often see how I want something done and I am able to map it out and bring it to life. For fashion, I love researching different looks and styles from 60s to now. From that inspiration, I’ll take a day to look at thrift stores or even recreate a look I already have. For my birthday last year, I wanted a monochromatic look, preferably a suit. I was determined to find this look…now in the thrift world that is hard to find as a set. So one day I’m out thrifting and I see this cute oversized mint blazer. Immediately, I’m like yes I’ll just wear this with a cute pair of tan or black trousers I had at home. As I am looking for these trousers, I noticed a pair of lighter mint pants I had purchased awhile back. I had completely forgot about them! Needless to say I was able to wear a mint, monochromatic look for my birthday. I felt like a million bucks that day, even though the entire look was $12 total. (lol) But it is so satisfying being able to piece it all together, make it my own, then showcase it to my followers.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Imprettythrifty
• Facebook: Imprettythrifty

Image Credits
CargoPhotography Meet the Bryants Photography Brittney Welch Photography