Mimi Striplin clearly remembers the date: June 1, 2020. That was
when demand for the unique tassel jewelry she had been selling for five years
took off, to the point where her website crashed.
That was when she had to suddenly think about expanding her small
team, of keeping more supplies on hand, of opening a brick-and-mortar
storefront. That was when an online business started with $500 began the
transformation into a retail force that’s now poised to exceed $1 million in annual sales.
“It was pure chaos,” Striplin recalled, “in
the best way ever.”
Now, the business called The Tiny Tassel operates out of a
colorful store in downtown Charleston, has been expanded to include clothing
and accessories, and has been featured on everything from network morning shows
to business programs.
It’s
all powered by Striplin, The Tiny Tassel’s founder, owner and creative force, who’s built her business through a
savvy digital marketing strategy backed by vivid photographs ready-made for
social media.
“I didn’t really have a plan,” Striplin said. “I
look back now and kind of cringe, because I was truly going off this belief and
faith in the business that I started to grow. I knew that when I decided to
leave my full-time job that it would be the source of income that I would have
to support myself from.
“And it really lit a fire underneath me. Because when I
decided to leave my full-time job, it was like, ‘This is all or nothing,’ and it was
really exciting to feel that motivation.”
‘OK,
this is a real business’
A Spartanburg native, Striplin moved to the Lowcountry to attend
College of Charleston, and after graduation began working in a menswear store.
One year later, she opened an Etsy shop to begin selling the tassel earrings
she was making on the side.
She worked in the menswear store during the week, and on weekends
found markets or pop-up shops where she could sell her tassel jewelry. She
started to develop a local customer base in addition to the one she had online,
and realized it was time to take the leap.
“It was super gratifying, because I was able to
physically create something and then have customers shopping from all over the
world find my products,” Striplin recalled. “I’ll never forget the day that someone
made a purchase on Etsy who was not like a family member or a friend of a
friend. It was just a total stranger, and that was kind of the lightbulb moment
of ‘OK,
this is a real business.’”
It was, and soon afterward the media took notice – the “Today”
show, outlets in the United Kingdom, countless blogs and platforms, all of them
attracted by colorful pieces striking a bright, almost optimistic tone.
It was after one of those media blitzes when Striplin’s website
crashed from all the demand.
“It was very overwhelming,” she said. “I
can truly say that we were not ready for that as a business. Because it was
just me.”
Suddenly, The Tiny Tassel was at that crossroads so many other
small businesses face: how to scale up, while still maintaining the uniqueness
of products whose personal nature attracted all those customers in the first
place.
Even today, many pieces at The Tiny Tassel are still handmade. So
Striplin began to expand her line, first into clothing designed by her mother
Keiko Striplin, who studied at Bunka Fashion College of Tokyo. She added other
curated brands, with an emphasis on those led by Black women, who remain
underrepresented on the downtown Charleston retail scene.
The strategy to scaling up
Striplin added a collection of beaded jewelry that she and her
sister design, but are made off-site.
“That’s allowed us to scale,” she said. “That
was almost like a saving grace for us. And it’s the same with our clothing — my
mom designs and hand-makes every piece, and we’ve been working now with a small
factory to be able to gradually transition to having some of our pieces
outsourced, using our patterns and designs.
“It’s really been a learning experience for us to be able to
communicate that to our customers, who kind of latch on because they love the
story behind handmade and the different family facets in our business. So it’s been
special to be able to grow and have our customers stick with us, even though we’re changing
every day.”
Even though the Spring Street store is currently The Tiny Tassel’s lone
physical location, Striplin calls it her “flagship”— hinting at more to
come.
“We have such a large customer base in Texas and in
Dallas, specifically, where my sister happens to live, so we always joke and
say that’s
our next Tiny Tassel,” she said.
“And so who knows, maybe that will come in a year, maybe
that’ll
come in five years. But right now we’re really focusing on how we can continue to just
strategically plan and set goals for our team here in Charleston, and really
setting systems in place to grow this business.”
And in the meantime, serve as a beacon for other Black and Asian
small business owners in the South.
“Here in Charleston, I don’t see enough of me represented,”
Striplin said. “I would love, love, love for this brand to be not just
about selling new products, but also an inspiration to other women and girls
who look like me but never see themselves portrayed. I was 22 or 23 when I
started my business with $500 saved up. I want to encourage them, and show them
what’s
possible, and that they can do it.”
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