Meet Linda Givens of Kalinda’s Closet in Northwest Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Givens.

Linda, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We established Kalinda’s Closet in January 2015. Our goal has been to build the best product that we could and, with our products, inspire our shoppers to be happy with how they look and how they feel. Our motto is “A great outfit is an armor to help us to feel confident and ready to face the day”.

Our goal has been to build the best product that we could and, with our products, inspire our shoppers to be happy with how they look and how they feel. Our motto is “A great outfit is an armor to help us to feel confident and ready to face the day”.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Our main challenge has been entering a very competitive industry that is driven by luxury brands. However, we believe that there is a market where shoppers appreciate quality accessories that enhance their wardrobe and makes them feel beautiful while carrying it without a branded logo to proclaim status…

It has been a challenge as a small business to get manufacturers to take us seriously. A lot of them want to work only with businesses who want to order tens of thousands of the same product. Compared to us – we make a limited number of an item because we want to focus on quality and exclusivity of any one design.

Factories also think that we are not knowledgeable in our craft. However, we’ve spent a lot of time to learn about the materials that go into our products, design, and functionality. We’ve spent time working with trained international designers who were willing to share their knowledge and experience. Once factories realize that we are experts in negotiations, understanding craftsmanship and producing a quality product, we always gain their respect.

Our best feedback has been from repeated business and shoppers letting us know that they were referred to us by a friend who recently made a purchase.

Please tell us about Kalinda’s Closet.
Kalinda’s Closet designs premium handbags. When my  son and I founded the company in 2015, we were committed to do everything we could to ensure that our products not be massed produced (we don’t create thousands of the same item). We personally design our handbags and we work with manufacturers to produce our products. We are known for our unique styles, designs and the quality of the materials we use.

We are strive to bring eye-catching accessories to our shoppers. In the past decade, marketers have saturated the fashion industry to make us believe that only luxury brands matter. However, we strongly believe that there is room for handbag accessories that are different. We offer unique accessories that combine 100% leather and hand-sewn fabric to create unique designs. We want our shoppers to feel like they’ve made a great decision to enhance their wardrobes with a Kalinda’s Closet accessory that stands out from what they see everyday.

Kameron and I traveled for more than a year to visit leather factories, meet with fabric makers, US. based and international manufacturers, and designers in order to learn more about our new industry. We used those learnings to help us enhance our craft. Our business designs products that are functional, durable, beautiful. We strive to create a unique look. Our designs combine beauty, simplicity, and functionality.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Looking back, I would have lined up to work with more than one factory so that we would have available resources when needed. I would also have also placed more focus on marketing our brand before launching the business.

Pricing:

• Our prices range from $85 – $200

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kalindascloset.com
• Email: lkdg2015@gmail.com
• Instagram: @kalindascloset
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/KLC7313

 Image Credit:
Kameron Givens, Mia Givens, Maxx Yin Photography & Videos, Lynda Louis Photography

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