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

Hi Tabitha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

When I decided to open Minimal Optimist, I wanted to help serve others with the knowledge I’ve gained over the last decade of switching to cleaner and more sustainable alternatives for the home.

One of the things I found the most challenging during my personal journey of switching to cleaner products was finding a safer (aluminum/ paraben/ phthalate free/ etc.) and sustainable deodorant. I feel like I tried all the clean brands (both commercial and locally made) and they either left me smelly at the end of the day or they left me with a horrible itchy rash (thanks baking soda). Through chatting with other friends, I realized I was not the only one dealing with this problem.

This year I stumbled upon my absolute favorite deodorant and I am beyond thrilled to share it with customers that come into the shop. The first day I had Little Seed Farm’s Activated Charcoal Cream Deodorant in the shop, I had to tell everyone all about it.

As I mentioned, that whole first day of having LSF deodorant in the shop, I told everyone all about it and shared my personal story with them. Several folks purchased the deodorant that day and said they’d let me know how they liked it. But I know life gets busy and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever hear from any of them about what they thought.

Then a few days later I heard from a gal named Hilary via Instagram messenger. Hilary said she was loving it so far and that her skin felt great (hooray….no icky rash) and that it had even held up through her workout that day! She thanked me for the recommendation and I seriously could not be happier to have helped someone make a small but meaningful swap.

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

I have always been a bit of a nature enthusiast. I love all things outside and find awe in the everyday beauty surrounding us. This time of year (fall) has been particularly beautiful and you can find tons of pictures on my phone or Instagram stories of flowers, trees, animals, and more. We live in a special place to be able to experience the magic of all four seasons.

Alongside my love of nature, I’ve also been eco-conscious and have shopped with more ethical brands, have made sustainable swaps around our home, and I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge surrounding those subjects over the last decade. So I started Minimal Optimist with a goal of helping others do the same and minimize their negative impact on the earth. Our mission at Minimal Optimist is to inspire confidence in a better future for you and for our planet. Small changes (minimal) can have big impacts (optimist).

It is such a delight to see and hear new folks come into the shop every day. They light up when they walk in and it brings me immense joy when I help someone find a new sustainable swap, find the perfect gift for a friend, or pick the right plant for their space.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

One resource that has been instrumental throughout building my business has been the Boutique Chat podcast. I started listening to the Boutique Chat Podcast back in November of 2019 right before starting my business in 2020.

The Boutique Chat podcast became a lifesaver. There are tons of episodes and I still learn something new every time I listen. The podcast itself takes a look at all things business related like growth strategies, marketing, branding, and all the things small business. It’s helpful to hear from real people who are also small business owners on things that have worked well for them, things they wish they’d done differently, areas of growth, and more.

Through the podcast I’ve learned about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), ordering, merchandising, branding, marketing, market strategies, Facebook and Instagram ads, and the list could go on. I highly recommend it to other boutiques and store owners.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I launched Minimal Optimist to the public in March of 2020. Needless to say, the timing of this was less than ideal since the following week, we plunged into a nation-wide shutdown and global. pandemic. All non-essential businesses were closed for several months and I did not have a website at that time. In the meantime, I started working on my website and chose to pivot to a mobile shop instead of a store-front.

Later that year, I started doing Pop Up Shops with other local businesses. Those Pop Up Shops were a great avenue to meet new customers, create relationships with local makers, and learn my target audience. I realized through those Pop Up Shops that there was definitely a market for sustainable goods in Knoxville.

Fast forward to October of 2021 to when I signed the lease to my current commercial space and took a huge leap of faith trusting that Minimal Optimist would be an asset to the community and it would be a sustainable business. This past year has been a learning year for sure. I am fortunate that I was able to start Minimal Optimist as a storefront in December of last year, because I’m not sure we would have made it without those holiday sales as a cushion.

The 2022 recession has been a challenge, but I feel like we are making strides to come out on the other side of it. The recession has meant closing the shop for vacations, closing on Saturdays during the summer, and postponing hiring. It has also meant going lean during the slower months and managing my money well. So all in all, I feel like I’ve been put through some strenuous tasks of business in these first years, but I know all of these challenges are worth it and will inevitably make me a stronger business owner and a better business to serve our community in the future. So cheers to fourth quarter, the holidays, and supporting small businesses!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.minimaloptimist.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopminimaloptimist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minimaloptimist
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/minimal-optimist-no-title?osq=Minimal+Optimist

Image Credits
Evan Palmer and Jonathan Palmer