Today we’d like to introduce you to niCo Robinson.
Hi niCo, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hey folks! My name is niCo (a combination of my first, middle and madien name) I’m from Brooklyn/Queens, NYC and I love Chairs! My journey began with a denim jacket – me trying to patch it. This meant learning to sew. After breaking 2 machines – who knew that $60 machine couldn’t handle heavy-duty material?! – I finally got the hang of things and began making throw pillows, embellishing cooking aprons and coasters all using fabric I’d gotten from Nigeria, Ghana & Mali. A friend offered part of her booth at AfroPunk so I could “test the market” which lead to my first custom order of 10 mud cloth throw pillows! From there, it was all about striking a balance between what customers needed/wanted and the products/services I enjoyed providing, all while working full-time for a tech company! It’s been a challenge, but with every fail, I learm something valuable. After moving to GA, I had the time and space to delve into what I am most passionate about – Chairs and furniture upholstery.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
A few of the challenges I’ve faced thus far have been the pandemic, pivoting my business & buildign a team. Before refreshing furniture, HoN provided soft furnishings made with fabrics sourced from Ghana, Nigeria & Mali – pillows, cushions – as well as other home decor items. When COVID-19 began, no one was interested in pillows. I had hundreds of yards of material and nothing to do with it. We were still in Brooklyn at this time and the mask mandate had gone into effect. So I quickly made two masks for myself and my husband to go to the store. A homeless man commented “oh! you got designer masks!” which made me laugh but also gave me an idea. I posted a pic of us wearing the masks and got tons of comments & DM’s asking if I was selling them. For every mask ordered, I donated one to a first responder or community member in need. Then Hello Beautiful & AfroPunk wrote about what I was doing and things got BUSY. Once D-Nice shouted me out on Club Quarentine, things kinda went nuts from there – I had no systems in place for the volume of orders that I received and got overwhelmed pretty quickly. The worst part was not having a dedicated team in place to help with things like cutting & sewing fabric, sourcing materials, packaging and customer service. Friends and neighbors began volunteering to help iron & cut fabric, even my husband learned to sew to help out! Eventually, I was able to find someone to assist sewing what ended up being over 3500 masks but doing so took time away from all the other things that required my attention. That, coupled with learning how to properly implement the tools in my Shopify store & me wearing ALL the hats, lead to a lot of dropped balls, a lack of sleep and panic attacks. It was awful! Thankfully, many customers were understanding. I learned how to manage my time better and the importance of having soild systems in place – shout out to Connie S. Falls.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about House of Nambili?
HoN specializes in breathing new life into your beloved family heirlooms. We believe that these sentimental pieces should be cherished and displayed proudly in your home, and we are here to help you do just that!
Our team is passionate about incorporating cultural aesthetics into our reupholstery and furniture flipping projects. We believe that these cultural influences add character and depth to any space, and we strive to honor and celebrate the rich heritage of our clients through our work.
From vintage dressers to antique armchairs, we have the skills and experience to transform any piece of furniture into a unique and beautiful addition to your home. Our team is dedicated to providing top-quality craftsmanship and customer service, and we are confident that we can bring your vision to life.
We invite you to visit our website www.houseofnabili.com
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
The characteristic I would most credit to my success is Presistance. No matter what happens, I find a way to keep going. Trust me, there have been MANY nights where I’m asking the Universe “WTF am I doing?!?!!?” LOL Then my husband will hug me and say something encouraging or I’ll see an IG Post from another artist or creative I admire, take a deep breath and keep pushing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.houseofnambili.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/houseofnambili
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/houseofnambili
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/houseofnambili
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCunDFrUb1pKx8y9bcmStHug
Image Credits
@iamnicorobinson
