Meet Cheri Wilson of MyCheriEssentiel in Northeast of Atlanta and New York

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheri Wilson.

Cheri, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved fashion and doing hair. As a little girl, I loved to color coordinate my clothing with my hair bows and purses. Even as the neighborhood babysitter, I’d do the same with the little girls I kept. Once I became a teen, my eye was drawn to pieces I didn’t see everyone wearing. I liked to be different and growing up in a single-parent household, oftentimes, I didn’t have a choice. My friend’s parents in high school could afford them the luxury fashions and handbags. I, on the other hand, had to make do with what my mother could afford, so I was drawn to clothing that would stand out, without the name brand. Thank God, I pulled that off! Kids are cruel. LOL! Back then, Guess was one of my favorite brands. It was affordable and unique.

After graduating from high school, my mom and I moved to Atlanta. My son was born that year and my daughter two years later. I attended DeKalb Beauty College, where I met my core base of friends and we are all friends to this very day, although some of them didn’t like me at first. Let me tell you why! Simply because I had white Guess jeans and they all had on nurses pants. We had to wear white pants as part of our uniform and they were mad that I had on these cute, tight, white Guess jeans. Once they got to know me, it was inevitable that they’d love me. Over the years, we lived a movie in Atl. From Club 112, Atlanta Live, Sunset, Charles, 559, the Silver Fox to videos with Pac and Breed, Freaknik and of course Strip club days. Needless to say, our fashion and style had to be on point, because we repped the A and those were really the days of club pictures! I’d become addicted to shopping at this point. If I saw something I wanted, but no longer available, I’d go on a quest to find it and nothing could stop me!! I became a professional online shopper. I had sizing and material down to a science, which makes a huge difference when shopping for the ladies. I dated a well-known stylist during the ’90s and 2000s, but he will remain nameless in this interview because this is about me! I will say this, we had to be fly, ANYTIME WE STEPPED OUT!!! He wouldn’t have it any other way! He’d come home with some of the dopest fashions for me because he himself was a name brand shopaholic and what man in his right mind would buy for himself and not his girl?! Fast forward to 2010. I was a Bartender at Echelon 3000 and later Karma.

My shopping addiction was ridiculous at this point and became even worse once I got into a long-distance relationship. I was dating someone I’d dated in my 20’s, but he lived in New York, which is where he’s from. Shopping became my way to fill a void. A long-distance void, lacking affection and time. Once social media arrived and Victoria’s Secret stopped selling clothes and shoes, I found my favorite boutiques on Instagram. I shopped so much, I started taking clothes to work and selling them to my fellow Bar stars. About four years ago, one even told me I should sell clothes for a living because I always had the hottest stuff. Silly me, I brushed it off back then. I could already be successful had I listened, smh, but everything happens when and the way it’s supposed to! Sounds off-topic, but last year, I ended up with Eczema. I think my body was in shock because I’d changed my eating habits about three years ago, to mostly plant-based and seafood. I also made an all-natural, plant-based body oil, so that I could stop using lotion with all the chemicals. That is initially how MyCheri Essentiel got started. The oils were a hit, so I launched my website. I do plan to bring them back, just as soon as I get my Brand to a level that I deem satisfactory.

Now, back to social media. I started seeing ALL THE SAME FASHIONS/PIECES floating around and I was beyond annoyed! I mean who wants to go out and see another woman rocking your same outfit?!! Let alone 2 or 3 in the same pieces. Not I!! This made me even more determined to find unique pieces and finally cut off my favorite boutiques. Most of them were overcharging anyway, so why shouldn’t I launch a brand, with better pieces AND better prices?!! Like Nip said, “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon” and I’m not interested in getting rich quick by price gouging. I’m in it for the long run and I want to provide my clients with the same things I looked for as a customer myself.

Now, yes, there have been times and will be times that some of us have the same pieces, but I try really hard not to! Sometimes, it’s inevitable, but when that happens, at least, I know my prices are better and when the world finds out about MyCheri Essentiel, they’ll know too. I’ve never been a trendy shopper, so at MyCheri Essentiel, we do not do trendy! Our fashions stay in style, year after year. One could say they become vintage. LOL! Classics and high quality never go out of style, so you’ll be happy to shop with us and hopefully become a loyal shopper at MyCheri Essentiel!

Has it been a smooth road?
Heck no, the road is not smooth. Is anything worth having a smooth road? Absolutely not, so I take on any and all challenges, because I will prevail! One of the toughest struggles is marketing and word of mouth. Once someone shops with me, they return often, but one of the worst things about Mes Amours is, they don’t want to share the info! It’s like I’m their best-kept secret. That’s fine for them, but where the heck does that leave me and my business?! Another obstacle has been investing money with other brands, that claim they’ll teach you all you need to know to become a successful brand. While some of them have given me a few gems, most are just out here robbing these ladies of money they don’t really have to lose. A lot of these big-name social media businesses are where they are now because they launched back when social media first began. So, of course, they have the numbers and following and my how they’ve capitalized on that. I think most of the new brands have gotten wise to their antics, so they’re not able to milk as many women as they once have and shame on them for doing so in the first place! No one should try to get rich off the backs of others. Woosah!

Finding a great Influencer has also been a task. Hard to find credible, honest people to rep your brand and actually bring in sales. I’m no quitter tho and at the end of the day, I can only rely on me to make MY brand a success! I’m the model, photographer, assistant, hairstylist and all. I don’t wear much makeup, but I am blessed to have a MUA, Cia Goss, that makes herself available at times for photoshoots. I won’t even talk about the technical side. Computers give me an instant headache, so I look forward to having an assistant, that will handle that part of the business.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the MyCheriEssentiel story. Tell us more about the business.
MyCheri Essentiel (one word when going to the site mycheriessentiel.com) is an online fashion boutique. We specialize in bringing you unique fashions that are not trendy, limited restocks and high-quality pieces for less. We are proud to dress you in fashions that you won’t see on everyone else and we take pride in our customer service, quality, and fast shipping. We also have fashions for women with real bodies. You know like the fact that I need a bra for most clothing. Not everyone has the Tata’s that sit up on their own. Whether natural or purchased. Not everyone has a small waist, flat stomach, and big butt. Yes some of us are born with it, but some are not, so I want to make sure we have something for everybody and every BODY.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Fashion is up and down like a rollercoaster. I can’t wait to see what the next 5-10 years will bring. Hopefully, it will become less trendy and get back to being classic. I’d love to see menswear evolve. Men get the short end of the stick, as well as Curvy girl fashion.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mycheriessentiel.com
• Phone: 833-MYCHERI
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycheriessentiel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mycheriessentiel/

Image Credit:
Robert Williams (for 3 of the photos) MyCheri for the rest.

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