Meet Lizbeth Williams of The Purple Coconut Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizbeth Williams.

Lizbeth, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story begins in the beautiful Virgin Islands of St. Croix, a vacation spot to many, but a home of many wonderful memories for myself. Growing up in St. Croix, my mother recalls that at a very early age, I connected to the fruitful spirit of our island culture and community. As a small child, I remember watching “Papi” (my granddad) pick homegrown breadfruit, coconut, mango and avocado from the trees in our backyard. I became fascinated with the idea of sharing our fruits and vegetables with everyone in the community. I would set up a stand in our front yard to sell the produce. Papi would always say that I was a tough little business woman. He remembers the time when Hurricane Hugo made landfall to St. Croix. The wind was beginning to pick up and the fruits were falling off the trees. I insisted that he help me set out my stand in front of our house so that I could sell them. I was seven and had no concept of what a Hurricane was, but I was determined to sell my fruits before the storm landed, and surprisingly I did. Selling fruits and vegetables as a small child was a foreshadow of things to come. You see, entrepreneurship was engrained in me at an early age as it was for many of my family members. Papi was the first to own a flatbed truck service in St. Croix, and my father owned a small supermarket. It was not unusual for me to learn a craft but also instinctively think about how I could turn it into a business. Growing up, I sold books, bathroom décor, hairbows; you name it! As a young adult, I’ve always known that I wanted to create something that would allow me to share with others the entrepreneurial experiences I had growing up but also something that was connected to my home of St. Croix.

My husband and I love to travel throughout the year in an offseason. As we were planning an offseason Caribbean vacation, I found myself searching multiple stores and websites for items for my vacation. I was shopping for shorts, swimsuit cover-ups, and other items. Due to it being winter, I was unable to find those items. I also recognized that many people run into this same issue, and it was at this moment that I had the vision for The Purple Coconut Company. I wanted to create an online boutique that caters to a year-round travel lifestyle. The Purple Coconut Co. is near and dear to me simply because it is the embodiment of my dreams and aspirations thoughtfully woven together through the details of the items I purchase for my customers. Each piece is carefully chosen. Every time I receive a box with items I’ve ordered for the site, I get so excited about being able to share the items with my customers!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The Purple Coconut Company launched in September 2018. We launched our e-commerce site and hosted a successful Pop Up Event at Effect Fitness. I have learned that owning and running a small business is not easy, and to date, my biggest challenges have been marketing and growing the business. I constantly think about different ways to grow our client base through pop up shops, social media, and word of mouth. Since launching in September 2018, sales have been great. However, still not enough to afford me the opportunity to focus on The Purple Coconut full-time. When I think about the future, I envision my client base reaching worldwide. I understand there may be struggles along the way but I know through providing quality items, hard work, and dedication The Purple Coconut Company can and will become a successful brick and mortar inside of hotels and airports around the world.

Please tell us about The Purple Coconut Company.
The Purple Coconut Company is an online boutique that caters to a year-round travel lifestyle. We specialize in “cutsie” items that will help you look and feel fabulous while on vacation or while you lay out by the pool.
Some of the items that our customers love are our microfiber towels. A lighter and more compact alternative to your traditional terry cloth towels. They are thin and compact, generously over-sized and super absorbent for a quick dry! They wick sand off with one quick shake and they fold down to a quarter of the size of a traditional beach towel. They are amazing! One of my personal favorites and a must-have summer accessory is our flask bracelets. They are a cute and stylish way to discreetly store your drink. We also carry other insulated drink-ware like our champagne flutes and wine glasses. Of course, we offer totes! Totes in all sizes, prints, and colors and we even monogram.

I am most proud of having the ability to provide customers with items that will make their vacation, stay-cation, or time at the pool that much more enjoyable. I like for our site to be a one-stop shop where our customers can pick up all the essentials they would need for a vacation and even purchase items they didn’t know they needed. If you walk into a department store in September, it will be difficult to find a floppy hat, cover-up, sandal, or microfiber towel for your winter Caribbean vacation. The Purple Coconut Company provides vacation items year around, and this is what makes our online boutique unique.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My most fond childhood memories are traveling with my grandparents. My grandma loved to travel and every summer we went on a different adventure. I remember traveling to Venezuela which had the most amazing arepa’s (cornmeal cake, in the Virgin Islands we call them Johnny cakes) I have ever tasted. We also visited several countries in Europe and the Caribbean. What stood out about my travels with my grandparents were the food, local arts and crafts, and of course the people and the culture. I would have to credit my grandparents for my love of travel because they were always eager to experience other cultures and they allowed me to tag along and share those experiences with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thepurplecoconutco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepurplecoconutco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepurplecoconutco/

Image Credit:
Paul McPherson Photography

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.