Page 348 - AmericasMart: Market Magazine July 2017

Now, we have the buying and branding power of a 40-store company, but I still think of each shop individually. Each location starts with the same initial buy, but stores can re-order the pieces that are selling best, and they can add on items from a look book to reflect their area’s style.
STAYING TRUE TO OURSELVES
One of the most personally rewarding aspects of my business is Free fab’rik. fab’rik takes care of the women who can afford to feel beautiful from $40 to $100, but what about the women who don’t have anything? Our nonprofit has completed my vision.
We set up mobile boutiques at safe houses for women escaping sex trafficking, and treat them to a free shopping spree of gently used clothing donated by our customers. We always end with a fashion show and group prayer, and you can just watch the confidence come back to these women.
Another project is our own clothing line, Asher, named after my daughter, who I adopted four years ago from Ethiopia.
The proceeds from each piece in each collection support a child in Africa to provide medical care and basic needs. We have an in-house designer, and our entire team has input. The designs embody what we are known for, and it’s a great chance for us to design those items that we just can’t find at the markets.
Finally, that above-and-beyond service is
still so important to who we are. We might send cupcakes to a regular who’s in the hospital, or send a bottle of Champagne to a restaurant where we know our customer is having a first date. There’s no magic to it, it’s just trying to be good people, and it makes our job more fun. As they say, at the end of the day, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.
Dana Spinola is the owner of fab’rik. For more information, visit fabrikstyle.com
Images: AWH Photo & Design
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DANA’S TOP FOUR MARKET SHOPPING TIPS
Take advantage of the amazing seminars that AmericasMart offers.
I especially wish I’d gone to the buyer orientations when I was starting out.
Be disciplined and have a plan for what you’re looking for and what you need to buy.
Find those showrooms that reflect your style sense and develop a relationship with them. They can be a great resource for finding merchandise that will fit your store’s identity.
Put together a smart buying team. Mine consists of myself, one of our franchise owners, inventory manager and our chief operating officer, and we all come at it from different angles to determine the big question: Is it on trend, is it our biggest need, and is
it going to sell in all 40 stores? Of course, we’ll still take chances on things that we really love.
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