Today we’d like to introduce you to Theresa Kim.
Hi Theresa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The concept for Skies For Miles (SFM) simmered in my mind for a few years, I’ve always wanted to set up my own small vintage shop. I was also a retail merchant for big box brands like GUESS, so I’ve learned first-hand how fast fashion impacted our mama earth. Combining my passion for sourcing and vintage shopping, I knew I wanted to curate collections of pre-loved mixed in with some new.
The inspiration behind the name started with my firstborn, Miles. I wanted my family to always follow their passion and work hard to reach what would feel like impossibilities. I knew I had to lead by example so I quit my “safe” full-time job three years ago to pursue my passions. Hence, the name Skies For Miles mean “limitless possibilities.”
Through the brand, I want to connect with like-minded customers who also shop more mindfully and want to leave less of their carbon footprints behind. SFM is committed to curating better sustainable options of high-quality merchandise.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My biggest challenge to date is social selling and maintaining an engaging social media platform. At companies I worked for, they had a dedicated marketing staff just for branding and another for selling. As a small business, you have to be prepared to wear so many hats. No matter how much you prepare yourself, so many obstacles will appear since the business is uniquely yours.
The best way for me to tackle was to step out of my comfort zone and post post post. I blocked out 30 mins of the day to engage and focus on one platform at a time.
Another method I wished I had done BEFORE I launched my website was to become a vendor in local pop-ups. That is the best way to gain IRL face time with your customers and learn about their likes and dislikes. Through these local pop-ups, I was also able to establish a presence with my brand more easily where paid ads, you only get a limited amount of keywords.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Skies For Miles?
We are a new online shop just shy of eight months old and we curate premium and cute as hell products that are sustainably and ethically produced by independent brands using recycled or natural materials. I want to build a community of like-minded consumers to support slow fashion and to invest in quality so we can better protect Mother Earth. Aside from sustainability, I also support badass female-owned brands. 95% of the brands we carry are female-owned. Only good stuff are offered at our shop.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My parents immigrated from Taiwan with big hopes of living “that American dream.” My dad, a retired reporter, and my mom still avoiding retirement is a branch manager brought my sister and myself to Los Angeles when I was three years old. Life growing up wasn’t easy and chasing that “dream” brought us more unexpected hardships. I never had the trendiest clothes, so instead, I had to make do with what I could get. I remembered biker shorts were such a thing, I took an old pair of leggings and cut them. I rolled them up and taped down the edges since I didn’t have a sewing machine. Or I would grab one of my dad’s tees and knot them so I could make that typical 90’s outfit with my biker shorts.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@skiesformiles.com
- Website: https://www.skiesformiles.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiesformiles/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopskiesformiles/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/skiesformiles/
Image Credits:
@skiesformiles
