We were lucky to catch up with Shirlonda Chambliss-Drummond recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Shirlonda, thanks for joining us today. Can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
My name is Shirlonda Chambliss-Drummond. I am the owner and CEO of Chamblissnation Apparel.
September 14, 2021, my brother, Willie “Boogee” Chambliss passed away unexpectedly from COVID. He was 42 years old. He left a 11 years old daughter (Bella) and a wife, Amy.
Our family was devasted. My heart went out to my niece, Bella. Her daddy had created a #Chamblissnation logo years ago, so I thought I would give an opportunity for family members to purchase shirts (from a local t-shirt company) to honor his memory. The t-shirts would ship to my home, and I would mail them (or drive them to our hometown of Gifford, Florida). All profits from sales would go to my niece, Bella.
We sold 25 shirts from the first order. (The first sale was at the end of October) After that, people were asking if we had more T-shirts, so I opened it up the opportunity again for anyone who wanted to purchase. I noticed that many people who wanted to purchase the shirts and hoodies were NOT family members. By December 2021, I had raised over $1,000 for Bella’s “life fund”.
As the demand became more, sorting and sending out became overwhelming. So, on January 14, 2022, four months after Boogee’s death, we launched Chamblissnation Apparel.
Please see our brand story at chamblissnation.com
Also, our family story and the tragedy that led to our family’s name (#Chamblissnation) and the death of Garry and Boogee Chambliss. Our story includes Atlanta Hip Hop legend Lil Scrappy.
This story can be found at ChamblissnationAnthemRemix.com
Great, I appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, what is your mission–what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
If you meet my family, you will quickly see that we love people. Our family like to laugh and have fun. We meet no stranger. We call everyone our family.
The mission of Chamblissnation Apparel is to share love and a sense of “family” all over the world. Our slogan is YOUR PEOPLE MY PEOPLE WE FAMILY!! Chamblissnation is family. We invite everyone to “join the Chamblissnation.
You may purchase tshirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, long sleeves shirts with our slogan, family themes, and other related sayins. We also offer personalize area codes shirts to represent your city as a part of our “extended family.” WE ARE FAMILY! We have clients all over the world.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Clients sharing our story and wearing our merchandise. People love our slogan. It has caught the attention of many who want to know more about us. When potential clients visit our website, they can meet our family.
Social media has been a great source for new clients. Our IG page has generated over 9,000 followers in less than one year.
We also have brand ambassadors in our countries that represent our brand.
See chamblissnation.com (Brand story)
See ChamblissnationAnthemRemix.com
Our family anthem is on Youtube
Contact Info:
- Website: chamblissnation.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @chamblissnation.apparel
- Facebook: @chamblissnation
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/Fa47AgFRflo