We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Traci Williams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Traci, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’ve always been into fashion and considered myself somewhat of a fashionista. Over the years “life” happened and I started to gain weight. As I transitioned into a curvy plus sized woman I noticed a distinct difference in the clothing options available at my current size. Don’t get me wrong, plus size clothes are everywhere but quality fashionable plus size clothing isn’t. I had to become extremely intentional about the places I shopped. I found myself mixing and matching the garments that I loved more often than I ever had to before…not that many options, means I had to improvise, right?
It was not unusual when I went out that women would stop me and ask where I purchased my outfits. There was never an easy answer as I shopped all over to find the quality I was looking for. There was definitely a void in affordable, quality, curvy/plus size women’s clothing and I decided that I wanted to fill that void. That’s how StellHER Curves came about. I decided I wanted to open an online Curvy boutique as a one stop shop for all my Curvy ladies to shop for affordable, quality, and on trend clothing that fit their body type without breaking their bank accounts. The StellHER Curves brand is all about providing clothing and accessories that embrace “Body Positivity and “Loving the Skin You’re In” regardless to your shape or size.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
The idea of StellHER Curves came about in May 2020 as I complained to a friend that I was searching for an outfit and couldn’t find anything that was up to par in my opinion. I had been to several stores and I just wasn’t able to find what I was looking for. During the conversation my friend made the comment that I would probably find something to wear and that I always “figured it out”. That one comment almost instantly turned into an “AHA” moment for me. My response to her was that I was going to open a curvy boutique. Although, I’m sure at the time my friend thought I was talking out of frustration. From that initial conversation and forward, I started researching all that went into opening an online store. Two months later in July 2020 the StellHER Curves website officially launched.
Prior to starting StellHER Curves and continuing today I work in corporate America. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and two Masters degrees, one in Engineering and the other in Business Management. I feel that my educational background played a significant role in creating my business plan, deciding how to fund my business, and developing my marketing strategies. My advice to anyone is to create a business plan. Don’t just start spending money with no specific plan to follow. You have to understand that any new business will require startup cost and without a plan you could easily spend a lot of money unnecessarily. Purchasing merchandise, equipment, and advertising all require money so it’s best to have a plan before just diving in.
I decided I wanted to start a curvy boutique to cater to all the Curvy Fashionistas like myself that have difficulty finding clothes they love, and that is just what I did. I saw a void in the plus size/curvy fashion arena and decided to tap into it. I am the curvy women that’s into fashion, loves to wear clothes that are on trend, and considers the quality of every fabric that I purchase.
After much success within the first 9 months of starting my business I began creating and manufacturing shirts, hats, tote bags, and coffee mugs all focused on Body Positivity slogans. Currently, I am a reseller of quality plus size clothing; but I am also the creative director and manufacturer of a premium t-shirt and accessories brand geared towards “Loving the Skin You’re In” no matter your body shape or size!
When I think about StellHER Curves the one thing that always sticks out is the many emails, messages, and conversations that I’ve had with my customers regarding the quality of the products I sell. The goal of starting my company was to provide cost conscious plus size shoppers a place to find fashionable clothing at an affordable price. I believe I have accomplished that goal to date. I have so many ideas of where I want to take my brand, how I want to continue catering to my customer base, and what I foresee StellHER Curves evolving into. Please stay tuned because I’m just getting started!
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
I created a Body Positivity line that falls under the StellHER Curves brand, and I personally manufacture the products I sell. I sell shirts, hats, tote bags, and coffee mugs. All the slogans on the products were created by me and I personally design and manufacture each product.
I had no clue initially how to manufacture any of the items I currently make. I did a lot of online research which assisted me tremendously prior to branching out into manufacturing my own items. There is so much free information that is available online and all it took was a few google searches and next thing you know I was finding the information I needed to move forward with my design ideas.
The major lesson that I learned when I started manufacturing my own items is research is key! People often have great ideas but if the execution isn’t thorough you can easily find yourself in a money pit where you’re spending more money than what your business is bringing in. I have several ideas regarding where I want to take StellHER Curves but I had to strategically plan how I want to evolve the company and launch products so that I wasn’t overspending. Make a plan, create goals, and set deadlines for those goals but definitely don’t try and do too much at the onset of your business. As my customer base has grown, I’ve launched more products. Have a budget and stick to it!
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The best source of new clients for me has been participating in several local Pop-Up Shops which has afforded me the opportunity to personally meet a lot of my customers. Speaking directly to my customer base and being provided the one-on-one time to get to know my customers has afforded me the opportunity to better understand what they are looking for. I also advertise on social media platforms during holidays and throughout the year. Social media advertisement is always a good idea, especially when you have sales going on and want to reach a larger audience.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stellhercurves.com
- Instagram: StellHERcurves
- Facebook: StellHER Curves