7 years and counting!

Hello My friends,

Wow it has been a long time since i have posted anything on my blog. This is ridiculous i made a promise to myself that i was going to post at least one post a week. The last time i was in Hawaii. Oh yes on a fabulous vacation. I have been back for a month now and trying to get back to my far from Normal life.

Well I wanted to address a couple of things here today. I have been getting quite a few calls from friends and clients of mine from the butik. Okay now i know you guys have not been seeing me at the store. I truly do miss all of you as i feel it has been so long. Okay so here it is...i have decided to take a much needed break! YEA!For those who follow me and know my history you will know that i have been in the retail business for 7+ long years. I started in a shop that was 400 sqft on Historic Auburn ave in 2004. I quit my crazy corporate job to be an entrepener. I had great success and my little company started have growing pains....I needed to get a bigger store in more of a high traffic area. If anyone in atlanta knows LIL 5 points is where you need to go. Well i also learnt the hard way that it is seal tight there. You either need to know someone who knows someone or you need to be pluged in.

So on one of my many visits to the area i ran into a friend who told me that the bazaar was actually looking for new businesses to rent Booths. That is all I needed to know. Fast Forward, a month later I got the front 2 booths broke them down built a fitting room and Baam Bombay Gal in lil 5 points. Some may say i downsized but in actuality i downsized only in space...yea! I went from a 400 sqft store for $520 a month to a 10 X10 Booth for get this $1100 a month. Yes pretty ridiculous, but this was a part of my master plan. The foot traffic was incredible, I grew my customer base from 700 to 2500 in about 6 months...yes my little booth. I am featured in Dailycandy, many blogs, uptown mag, Vibe, and oh so many photoshoots! The jewelry has always been the main seller but the clothes got mad love too. My moto has always been less is more....cheaper prices and move quantity. I got my clothes from India, nyc, LA etc. But i got my personality from my MAMA! lol! That helped too!

Soon I started to get growing pains again...but this time i just had to put it out in the universe and it came to me. Yes 900 sqft, affordable rent, In the Virginia highlands area. What could be better. I moved in and with my awesome BFF and hubby we opened BG in the Highlands Last year. The process has been hard, lonely at times, busy and oh so tiring. But the reward has been incredible. I have been my PR person, my buyer, my own designer, my graphic person, my web developer, my merchandiser for 7 years you guys! Yes i need a break.

I have been blessed to have met some incredible people along the way and one in particular is Ihsaana Gay....she met me in lil 5 points when the store was in the bazaar and has followed me ever since. Se has agreed to partner up with me and take care of the store in my absense! she is wonderful and just as friendly, sweet and crazy as i am. Please show her some love!

I also Partnered up with a good friend of mine Christine Miller to open a 2nd location for me....A Vintage store on Flat Shoals rd...called Eclectic Gal...Yes its ours, its vintage and that's where i have been hanging out lately!

Now I have not been hiding or anything....I have been giving all my energy into launching an exclusive Bombay Gal Designs jewelry line. I have been experimenting with fabrics, vintage metals, paint, chains, metalwork etc.

Now you may not see me at the store that much ....but you will definately see the line at BG of course, and we picked up a few more stores we are also available at NV-U Boutique on BLVD, Cat's Natural Beauty Salon, Little Black dress in St Louis and of course Bombay Gal and Eclectic Gal. And you best believe we will be coming to your city soon...a festival near you....or a friends home party!

So there it is....All in a nut shell....Now what have you been upto? lets catch up!