Check Out Aaliyah Arrington’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaliyah Arrington.

Hi Aaliyah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Wow! As far as Everythangdope goes…My partner Nikki Harris had the amazing idea of selling vintage clothing in the middle of one of the most craziest times in history…the Pandemic! We were both kind of over our current work situations and wanted to pivot. She quit her job and I continued to work to support us until it would totally sustain us…and here we are 6 years later building an empire together.

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?
It’s definitely been a bumpy road. Doing business with your significant other is not for the faint of heart but thinking about it…I wouldn’t change it. We’re both really good at what we do individually so coming together only makes it better. I think we feed off each other and value each other’s opinion.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At the current moment I am the COO of Everythang Dope, which is an 80’s-90’s preloved/re-loved experience. I contribute to the team in such areas as inventory, payroll, merchandising, creative direction and whatever else needs to be taken care of.

Not only do we specialize in selling clothes from and inspired by the 80s-90s era, we upcycle, we support local up and coming designers and artist, we collect, preserve and sell nostalgic items such as figurines, magazines, even jewelry just to name a few, When you visit our space or even a pop up we do our best to embody that era.

I’ve been known to do a lot of other things as well. Photographer, curator, manager, creative director, event coordinator and so many other hats have been on my head. My mentality has always been to try new things because you never know what you’re good at and you never know what you might like. I know it sounds cliche but my main goal is to do something that makes me happy and doesn’t feel like work.

I’m super proud of being able to work for myself and alongside some incredible people that I love deeply and respect creatively,

I feel like what sets me apart is my ability to stay grounded, believe in myself, be inspired by my peers while being original and authentic as possible and living in my own world. Individuality is super important to me and I love it when people own their own style in whatever they’re pursuing. Also, my commitment to integrity in business when you obtain a certain level of success is non-negotiable

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
For me personally, being self employed is the biggest risk of all time, I’m fortunate and grateful to have been around a lot of entrepreneurs that showed me what to do and most importantly, what not to do, You have to count on yourself everyday and make sure if you’re providing employment its fair and just to the people helping you build. No one is telling you what to do or what time to clock in and out, It takes a certain type of discipline and focus. Its the feeling of knowing that you and your team are accountable for everything. No risk, no reward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.everythangdope.com
• Instagram: @everythangdope
• Facebook: Everythangdope