Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamika Akins.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tamika. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It all began while I was on stress leave from work during the Spring of 2016. I’d never take a leave of absence and was literally forced to do so for the sake of my own sanity. While I was on leave, I had to make a decision to either switch jobs, go back and deal with it, or make a plan to “GET OUT” and change my life. I majored in Computer Information Systems and graduated from college in 2000. Therefore, I’ve been in Information Technology for 19 years now. It has been rewarding, thrilling, stressful, even dreadful, but now it simply pays the bills. I’m on a mission to find my purpose in life. I’m searching for a way to love what I do, make a living with it, and be the best wife and mom while doing so.
I’ve tapped into my inner self and discovered that my love for CRAFTING could be the start of something good. I’ve never been afraid of trying to make things. Once I tricked my hubby into making a Princess Castle out of cardboard for our daughter’s 5th birthday party. That was nine years ago. It turned out to be great for the kids, but Hell for my hubby ;-). I’ve tried my hand at everything… wedding decor, baby showers, home projects, shoe bling … you name it. It seems that I’ve settled upon the idea of creating edgy, out of the box children’s outfits. Although I don’t do much sewing, I’m good at finding unique apparel items that I enhance with shoes and accessories to complete the “look”. These looks range from fancy-smancy, dressy and formal, to birthday party fit done right, too cute and casual, with a spin of course. Having two girls has definitely made this easy and fun. I’ve always thought of creating cute fits as just a hobby that turned into a habit. I was introduced to Etsy in 2016 and never thought I could actually sell anything that anyone else wanted or that anyone else has the same taste in. I suppose that was because I was always giving and as long as it’s free, they’ll take all day long ;-). Well, all that giving, slowly became unfulfilling! So, off to Etsy I went, my first sale was a Happy Birthday Cupcake Headband and today it is a top-seller. It inspired the creation of the Happy Birthday Princess Hat and the Magical Unicorn Headbands. Then came the tutus, custom sneakers, custom jackets, jewelry, sunglasses, and flower girl dresses. This is what made Prim and Saucy Boutique a one-stop shop for fits to floss. But Etsy has its limitations, it either has to be vintage or handmade. Therefore, I needed a site where I could sell both handmade and ready-made boutique items for Prim and Saucy, so I’m running both a website and two Etsy shops until I convert everyone to our stand-alone website.
Has it been a smooth road?
Being your own BOSS is definitely not easy peasy, lemon-squeezy! I’m still a working full time IT Consultant by day, a wife, a mom of 2 girls + a Bichon, all while juggling business tasks between order taking, order fulfilling, making tags and labels, and/or creating social media content at night! There are so many moving parts to boutique entrepreneurship. There’s Uncle Sam, of course, fashion seasons, what’s hot, what’s trendy, what’s not, scaling up, sleepless nights, and tough decisions! You have to make your own way and carve your own path in this industry. I started this thing with passion, as most do. I don’t have a background in it, but I’m willing to do the work. I’m constantly taking courses, researching, tweaking, and revising plans. Keeping in mind that one day, I will see the fruits of my labor.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Prim and Saucy Boutique in the as online boutique, specializing in children’s custom birthday party wear with lots of bold flavor for the mild, sparkly, spicy, and fun at heart personalities out there. We offer a wide selection of curated styles as well as custom requests, in addition to boutique apparel for weddings and other social gatherings. We occasionally bring our pop-up shop to you by partaking in local festivals and events.
Due to an influx of requests from moms that also wanted custom tees, we created the spin-off Etsy shop, Grown and Flossy. Ideally, Prim and Saucy is our main priority, but as time permits, we’ll consider mommy’s custom requests too. We’re working with an off-site print shop to fulfill many ready to purchase t-shirts, mugs, and other gear. Our goal and mission are to one day be a one-stop shop for all of a girl’s (moms included) special occasion needs. For now, we’re just taking things one day a time, trying our luck at finding the Purpose Driven Life.
As a small black-owned company, we’re proud of the heartfelt appreciation from customers expressing how thankful they are for our attention to detail with their custom orders, the affordable pricing that we offer for the boutique items, and the exceptional customer service and expertise that we provide.
Trends come and they go. We go out of our way to provide a spin on what’s poppin’, pulling in your child’s likes and dislikes. Our boutique clothing picks are an extension of their personalities so that they can feel proud and confident in themselves without the pressure of fitting in. They don’t always have to be prim and proper, go with the norms of society, or be afraid to be different, they can rock with Prim and Saucy!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Atlanta is an awesome city with so much to offer, from arts and entertainment to music and culture. I feel that there’s room for everyone. The outer lying, rural areas could definitely use more exposure. This magazine is truly inspiring and a gateway for the small businesses like ours to be in the “know”!
Pricing:
- Jewelry – $5 & up
- Hair Accessories – $8 & up
- Kid’s Custom Tees – $15 & up
- Boutique Apparel – $19 & up
- Tutu Outfits – $55 & up
- Ladies Tees – $25 & up
Contact Info:
- Website: www.primandsaucyboutique.com
- Phone: (678) 962-PASB (7272)
- Email: hithere@primandsaucyboutique.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primandsaucyboutique/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/primandsaucyboutique/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PrimandSaucyBoutique
Image Credit:
SylkMedia, Prim and Saucy Boutique
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