Jessica Harvey, 27, is a perfect example of the
well-rounded, young female entrepreneurs that the fab’rik franchise attracts. Not
only has Harvey recently celebrated the opening of her second fab’rik boutique
in North Carolina; she was named one of the Top 30 Under 30 Future Business
Leaders of Charlotte by Elevate Magazine in 2013, was crowned Mrs. North
Carolina in 2012, served as the national spokesperson for the Angelman Syndrome
Foundation, and currently sits on the board of a nonprofit called Young and
Beautiful, which is geared toward empowering and educating young women.
Harvey grew up in Tallahassee, Florida and relocated to
South Carolina for college. She received a track and field scholarship for
Clemson University and was a heptathlete during her time there. After
graduating with a major in marketing, Harvey traveled the east coast alongside
her professional baseball playing husband, Kris Harvey. During this time she
had various side jobs to keep busy; she was a personal trainer, a model, and
was even part of the 2007 WWE Diva Search.
Once the Harvey’s decided to start a family they made
permanent roots in Catawba, NC where Jessica started a career in Business
Development. They had their first
daughter in 2010 and joined the fab’rik franchise the next year. Their second daughter arrived just months
before the opening of their second store.
How did you first
hear about fab’rik?
I went to the same high school as the owner of the
fab’rik boutique in Savannah, Bree. Bree also went to college with the owner of
the fab’rik in East Cobb, so I knew her as well. The three of us got together at a mutual
friend’s baby shower in early 2011 and I finally visited the store in person. I
went and thought I would buy something to be polite and assumed it would be
pricey, but I was blown away by how affordable everything was.
Why did you choose
an opportunity with the brand?
My husband and I had been thinking about starting our own
business, especially with baseball being a perishable career. We liked the idea
of a franchise because it was a proven business model, and after learning that
fab’rik was a franchise, in addition to the fact that I had two friends already
in it, we decided to join the brand.
I also loved the idea that so many of the women who owned
the stores were very successful women in their own careers. It was an elite
group to be a part of, and there were many inspiring people I could learn from.
Seeing that it was possible for me to be a store owner and still have my own
career in a separate field was amazing.
What are your
development plans and long term goals with fab’rik?
My original plan when I began franchising was to open three
boutiques.
Are you involved
with any charities or complete any community outreach?
As a family the organization we support is the Angelman
Syndrome Foundation, because of my sister-in-law. I had the opportunity to
serve as the spokesperson during my reign as Mrs. North Carolina. I currently
sit on the board for Young and Beautiful, a local organization that supports
confidence building in young girls. I
also serve on the first Franchise Advisory Council for fab’rik.
I graduated from Valdosta State University in the summer of 2007 and moved to the "big" city of Atlanta thinking that I would walk right into Corporate America, land a job and become a successful business woman in a matter of NO time.... WRONG. Post graduation, job hunting and trying to find an entry level position proved to be more difficult than I could have ever imagined. While waiting on a dream job, a friend recommended that I look in to working at this cute boutique downtown. I had no other leads at the time, so I thought, why not? (Ramen noodles were starting to get old.) I submitted my resume along with the reasons why I would be perfect for the company, including franchising in the future as a dream of mine. (That might have been a slight fudge. I NEVER thought I could actually own my own franchise!) I interviewed with one manager, followed up with a second and was then hired as a part time stylist with another! I will never forget my first day at fab'rik Forum. I can still remember my outfit: a very business casual look, accessorized with terrible shoes and your standard sorority girl pearls. After a short time as a part timer I quickly moved into full time, solidifying that I LOVE this industry and this company. Seven months passed and a management position opened up, I had no idea that I would have qualified at that point, but Ally, my manager, (now the fab'rik Operations Manager) believed in me enough to help push me in to the roll, and Dana (CEO) gave me a chance to run one of her fab'rik babies. Looking back I now know what an honor it was that they both believed in me with no management experience and very little time in the retail industry to take on this responsibility. 
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