Today we’d like to introduce you to Summer Allen.
Summer, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Back in 2015, my husband and I were struggling after relocating from Portland, Oregon to Los Angeles. He was working long hours in a stressful job and I was at home trying to get any writing jobs I could. I ended up landing a somewhat regular job doing excerpts for a cannabis wiki, only to learn it was going on hiatus a month into my time there. I felt stuck and wanted to do my best to contribute to our household financially.
I had always been a collector of pins, patches, and buttons throughout the years, and was inspired by seeing so many incredible artists starting to create their own designs. One night while doing a little online shopping from some of my favorite makers, I felt frustrated paying so many separate shipping costs. The idea crossed my mind to create one spot online for people to shop at with one flat inexpensive shipping rate. It also seemed like a great opportunity to create a connection with some truly talented people.
At first, I contacted roughly 50 artists/designers with no money to back me up and landed just a handful who really believed in what I was planning to do. Among those including Sara Lyons and Robin Eisenberg, who were major inspirations of mine and had a large following. Through word of mouth and Instagram connecting, Gimme Flair hit the internet with a decent amount of customers, which grew through the holiday season.
Early on in 2016, I made a connection online with Hayley Williams of Paramore who promoted the business on Twitter- from there, my customer base grew immensely and I was suddenly busier than I had ever been.
Fast-forward two and a half years, and we are going strong with over 275 different artists involved from across the globe. My husband was able to quit his job over a year ago to join the business. It’s been quite a dream (with many hiccups along the way).
Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely been a major learning experience. Prior to Gimme Flair, I knew nothing about running a business. Some of the biggest obstacles were figuring out profit margins, balancing how personal I wanted my business to be, dealing with taxes, and getting all the shipments out in a reasonable amount of time. Even now, there are definitely still plenty of bumps in the road, but I have gotten better and more confident when dealing with the everyday struggles of running my own business.
I also suffer from anxiety disorders, as well as clinical depression, which obviously creates a fair share of problems. as a business owner. Some weeks I excel at the whole “boss bitch” thing, other weeks it is hard to even get out of bed, let alone take on all the responsibilities. I am learning to take some much-needed self-care and timeout when I really need it.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Gimme Flair – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Gimme Flair is the largest online retailer of enamel pins and patches. We specialize in showcasing the work of hundreds of different artists from large to small from all parts of the world. I try to keep my personal tastes in the entire process (I have a background in design), so even with a massive amount of products, it is still quite curated.
I am extremely proud of our selection. We carry such a wide range of flair- there really is no other shop quite like it. I try to put my heart into it as much as I can and I like to think it shows. I continuously try to find new artists. I’m also incredibly proud of how large we have grown in such a short amount of time.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I grew up in Los Angeles and truthfully hated it! I never felt a connection to the city and spent my time dreaming about going elsewhere. I was obsessed with do-it-yourself culture and zines, and at the time, Portland was the place to be. I moved there in 2005, believing I would never move back to LA. After nine years though, Portland didn’t feel like home anymore. It was becoming alarmingly gentrified and a lot of my favorite spots were being closed down. I knew my time there was over. One day while visiting my family down in southern California, my soon-to-be husband and I were sitting on the beach and I said, “why did I complain so much about this place? It’s beautiful.” We made a plan then and there to begin our lives together in Los Angeles.
About six months later (a mere day after our wedding), we were here. I was prepared to dislike it since I had so many negative feelings towards being here in my youth, but then it surprised me: I fell in love with LA. I love being around such a huge range of cultures. The food is amazing (c’mon, the burritos!). There is this wonderful mixture of grittiness and beauty, especially in Hollywood, that I am completely infatuated with. LA has also established so many different neighborhoods in the past ten years that manage to still feel connected, which impresses me in such a huge city. Oh, and the weather. Sorry Portland, we’ve definitely got you beat in that department.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gimmeflair.com
- Email: hello@gimmeflair.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gimmeflair/
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
