If you follow me on IG then you know I’ve been pushing the launch of something I’ve been working really hard on for the past few months: www.SHOPshadesofpinck.com
I’ve shared that it is happening, but I haven’t given very much information on what it really is or why I decided to start it, so I wanted to take the time, just a few days before the launch on 12/1, to explain it all.
Once college ended, my friends dispersed across the Southeast which made it hard to get “the gang” together all at once. One summer I decided to go all out for my birthday. It wasn’t a milestone birthday or anything, but several of my friends had said they could come celebrate and I wanted to make the trip worth their effort. I spent weeks going through every single detail: the food, the activities, the entertainment, the party favors I’d give them, etc. It was all so overwhelming and exhausting. So many times I wanted to give up and say “let’s all just meet for drinks somewhere”, but I didn’t. I pushed through! And when the day came and I was able to take a step back and realize how much fun we were all having together at that very moment it made all the craziness that I had to go through worth it! Because at the end of the day it’s the memories made that matters when it comes to anything!
I left that party on a high. Not because the celebration was for my birthday, but because I felt responsible for why a group of people I loved had a great time. It was the most rewarding feeling. From that moment on, I began finding excuses to throw a party or host a little event! Someone else’s birthday came up; I wanted to help decorate! My best friend was pregnant; I wanted to host the baby shower. It was time for Thanksgiving or Christmas; I’d ask my grandma if I could take over the tablescape. Creating an intimate setting that forced people to have a good time became my thing! When my fiancé and I got together there were even more excuses to host parties: his kids’ birthdays, political events, and even just lazy Saturday’s at the lake. There was always an event that deserved the extra effort.
As I began to host these gatherings more often, not only did I get better at it (being a host is like a muscle, you have to use it to get better), I started to realized it was difficult finding some things I needed. Of course, my favorite store (aka Home Goods) was always there when I was in a jam, but so often it was hard to find the right quantity of one product, or certain seasons in another! Their stuff was good, but their inventory was never reliable. I’d search online but overpriced brands with “mature” patterns that did NOT appeal to me were the only things I could find. That’s when I had the idea…”why couldn’t I provide quality home goods for intimate gatherings, in stylish prints, that don’t break the bank?”
I’m not sure if many of you know this, but I graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree is Fashion Merchandising. A common misconception is that is has something to do with designing clothes, but it doesn’t. Trust me, I couldn’t have been apart of the program if it did lol. I try to explain that it is basically a business degree, but with an emphasis on retail. And ever since I graduated I’ve been itching to use it. But the retail that college prepared me for has changed drastically in a short period of time! Legacy brick-and-mortar stores are closing and new ones aren’t filling those spaces. Instead, big box stores + discount websites are driving sales which makes attracting consumers so competitive and existing IRL nearly impossible for small businesses. So I knew if I was going to sell home goods that meant I’d have to take everything I learned and apply it to the technology of the modern day…and make sure my products were unique enough to not be found on any other website!
When sourcing my products I knew I couldn’t just go to market, curate a list of things I liked and then sell them. Sure, it would have gotten me by, but it wouldn’t have set me apart. Besides, I knew my audience was like me and didn’t just appreciate something special–they expected it. So I decided I needed products made with a unique prints that only my brand has access to.,,I just didn’t know how to do that. Then, as fate would have itAshley of Impact to Image walked into my life! She and I met on set of a wedding shoot. I was modeling and she had painted six tiles and then turned them into a tablecloth for the shoot. I was blown away! Not only was her work gorgeous, but she was exactly what I had been looking for. So we met for coffee, I shared with her my passion for hosting intimate events and my desire to launch a lifestyle brand with unique products. She agreed to help, but never in a million years would I have realized back then how much of a blessing she would be throughout this entire process. She and I worked closely over the past two months to come up with FOUR unique, hand-painted designs for my first ever holiday collection.
These designs were created to evoke my love for traditions, color, The South and all things girly + chic! What’s most exciting is that each product will be available in each design, so you can mix-and-match products to help host your events.
The goal of this SoP expansion is to offer each of you stylish products to help host intimate gatherings IRL for the people you love the most. From tablecloths and placemats to Christmas tree skirts and ornaments, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been hosting for years, or planning your very first party– there’s something for everyone. We chose to begin with a holiday collection, because no other time of the year calls for some many excuses to gather. But we plan to release more products and new designs over the coming months. So if you feel like there’s a product missing that you’d like to see in the next collection, please don’t hesitate to let us know! shop@shadesofpinck.com
As, always, thank you for being apart of this journey and for embracing me at each step. I hope that these products will help you create lasting memories + good vibes.
Xx- Meg
Want to see the 4 designs from our holiday collection?! Visit @shopshadesofpinck
