Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Lester.
Hi Michelle, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Hi everyone, I’m Michelle! I’m a boutique/custom t-shirt business owner Gail and Grace Co. in a small town here in NC. I am a mother of 3 teenagers. I started this business a little over a year ago . Right after my mother passed away, I opened my business in her honor and named it after her and daughter. I have always been creative and loved to design, so I set and thought to myself what is the best way for me to express that, and well here we are with Gail and Grace Co. For the moment I currently just run my business online from my website, Facebook, Instagram, etc. This is a learning as I go type of experience, learning how to manage a business, how to handle customers, being the person on the front line of the business, keeping up with inventory, the changing seasons and fashion trends. It’s a lot of long hours and sometimes hard days, but it has definitely been worth it. Looking back, I would’ve told myself to prepare for days you wanted to give up because a situation didn’t go right, you’re overworking yourself, running a business solo and you are the only one literally doing everything is exhausting, to learn to take time for you and your family! It hasn’t been a smooth road and running no business is, but I keep striving to make my business what I have envisioned it to be for a long time, and I’m not stopping until I reach that, and when I do, it will be a new goal to reach. So just a little FYI, if you have a vision about something you want to do and you are terrified, DO IT ANYWAYS! It is the most rewarding thing and seeing how impact others make all the hard days worth it I promise!
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I can’t lie and say that being at the front line of a business is all sunshine and rainbows. Let’s be honest, what in life is really that way anyways? Running a boutique/custom shirt line has its days just like any other business. Learning to adjust to situations, what customers like, how to handle certain situations have been things that I have learned along the way. Of course I still have areas that I need to grow in, but we all do. You just have to use the bad that happens and examine it and figure out how to improve it for the next time.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have a custom t-shirt boutique. I am branching out to be able to offer more to my customers! So stay tuned for that. I love creating unique designs for someone to be able to wear and express themselves. I also do custom work, customers can request for me to make them a design that they have in mind, a vision rather and we work together to bring it to life. Although I have to say, making shirts for a customer that is a memory shirt of someone that they have lost or a special time in their life, those are my favorite. I enjoy creating memorable pieces that they can show off. What sets me apart is just being myself, I do things that make me smile or make me laugh, create designs that I know that my customers are going to enjoy. Taking my customers’ visions and bringing them to life.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
First and foremost, God deserves all the credit. He gives me the strength and courage to keep going every single day and the creativity to keep making designs. My 3 children Jacob, Kaleb, and Emma, they motivate me every single day to not give up. I want my children to look back when they are much older (which lets be honest it won’t be long lol) and see that if their Mama believed in her dreams and kept pushing forward even on the days she wanted to just give up, means that they can do anything in this world that they set their minds to. My family members have been a constant support system as well as my amazing customers that I have had the pleasure of meeting and some of them becoming my friends. They always remind me on the days I’m feeling rather discouraged that I’m great at what I do, I can’t give up, and they believe in me and love my work. Last but not least, My Mother Donna. I always wanted to make her proud of me when she was still here and for her to see me make something of myself. Even though she isn’t here physically anymore, I know she’s up there watching and smiling, because her daughter isn’t giving up.
Pricing:
- Custom shirts $35 (their designs)
- T-shirts I design start at $28 and up
- Sweatshirts start at $30 and up
- Hoodies start at $32 and up
- Youth sizes start at $16 and up
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.gailandgrace.myshopify.com
- Instagram: Gailandgraceco
- Facebook: Gailandgraceco
