National Business Women's Day: Fabulous fab'rik Women

We love celebrating exceptional women in our community!  In honor of National Business Women's Day, we are highlighting a few fab'rik women who give meaning to the phrase #girlboss.  Follow us as we feature fearless women and their stories this week!

CAROLINE LOFTIN
OWNER. ATTORNEY. MOM.

It has always been my dream to open a clothing store, and in April 2012, my dream finally became a reality. Born and raised in Athens, Georgia, I graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. degree in History and received my J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law. After graduating from law school, I moved to Atlanta and joined King & Spalding LLP where I am currently a counsel on the Finance team focusing primarily on municipal securities transactions representing nonprofit corporations such as healthcare and higher education clients. When I went on a mission trip to Haiti in June 2010, I met and became great friends with Dana Spinola, who is the President and CEO of fab'rik. After returning from Haiti, I worked with Dana to form fab’rik’s charity free fab'rik (a 501(c)(3) organization that organizes free shopping sprees for deserving teens and moms in need). In the Fall of 2011, Dana and I just knew that it was time for me to open a fab'rik in my hometown, and fab'rik Athens opened its doors on April 26, 2012 with the assistance of my incredible manager and friend Melissa McGill.  I was absolutely thrilled and honored to introduce fab’rik’s unique shopping “experience” to the Athens retail fashion industry.

Since I opened fab’rik, I moved back to Athens, got married and had a baby girl named Olivia.  I can honestly say that I have never been this happy in my entire life. My life is so full of blessings, and I am so thankful for my family and all of the love that my husband, my two stepsons and my daughter bring me.  So now my days are pretty full with being a wife, a mom, a stepmom, an owner at fab’rik, and an attorney with King & Spalding.  Some days are definitely easier than others, but I would not have it any other way. Along with my love for my family, my love for fab’rik grows deeper and stronger every day.  I truly am so grateful and humbled to be a part of the fab’rik family and to learn from these incredible women and men at fab’rik.  I cannot imagine my life now without fab’rik, and I look forward to opening my second (and possibly third) fab’rik in Charleston in the near future.

WALK IN HER SHOES

My style has definitely changed over the years from black or dark blue business suits with heels and scarves to sophisticated outfits with unique accessories. I love wearing the latest trend in skinny jeans, tall boots or pumps with a flowy, fun, colorful top.  I like spicing up an everyday look to make it look creative and original but always classy.

CAROLINE'S PICKS

Joyce Tank, $78 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/tops/products/buddy-love-joyce-tank)

Printed Long Sleeve Top, $58 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/tops/products/printed-long-sleeved-top-by-caramela-1)

Short Sleeve Printed Top, $56 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/tops/products/short-sleeved-printed-top-1)

Spanx Super Skinny Denim $98 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/jeans/products/spanx-super-skinny-denim-black)

Tall Ribbed Boot, $58 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/shoes/products/tall-ribbed-boot)

National Business Women's Day: Fabulous fab'rik Women

We love celebrating exceptional women in our community!  In honor of National Business Women's Day, we are highlighting a few fab'rik women who give meaning to the phrase #girlboss.  Follow us as we feature fearless women and their stories this week!

MEREDITH EBLE
FROM STYLIST TO STORE OWNER

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. 

I managed fab'rik City Walk for almost 4 years - the first couple years during a recession - so the days of my retail career were not always glitter and champagne. (Let's face it, glitter and champagne are two of my favorite things.) It took long days of calling customers, hustling in the community trying to create foot traffic and lots of tears. I'm not afraid to admit the hard times because we came out of it as a company, and I came out of it a stronger, more resilient person. Those days and having Dana as a mentor helped mold me in to the go-getting business owner that I am today! In early 2011, a franchise opportunity opened up in my community with the redevelopment of a well known shopping center, I stumbled into a conversation with the leasing agent, and the idea sparked for the first fab'rik franchise in Atlanta! After a few convincing conversations with the fab'rik franchise, we started this new journey to open fab'rik East Cobb! In August 2011, fab'rik East Cobb was born. It has been every bit amazing, crazy, awesome and exhausting! I have loved this journey so much that I will be opening my second location, fab'rik AVALON, in October 2014! fab'rik has been a dream come true and a company that will forever be a huge piece of my heart. 

WALK IN HER SHOES
My style has definitely morphed from that business casual, sorority girl to a somewhat edgy, boho chic that likes to test the waters with the seasons latest trends. while I love graphic tees with comfy jeans with layered accessories there is something to be said for the way I feel in a flirty skirt or dress. i love a twist on the classics and tend to add a little flare with the jewels and shoes! 

MERE'S PICKS
35 MM Sasha Top, $68 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/tops/products/35-mm-sasha-top)
Ombre Jersey Knit Vest, $54 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/tops/products/fabrik-ombre-jersey-knit-vest)
Hudson Collins Skinny, $198 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/jeans/products/hudson-collins-skinny-in-propaganda-denim)
Carlton Snakeskin Maxi Dress, $98 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/dresses-1/products/buddy-love-carlton-snake-maxi-dress)
Perforated Ankle Bootie, $46 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/shoes/products/perforated-ankle-bootie-taupe)

National Business Women's Day: Fabulous fab'rik Women

We love celebrating exceptional women in our community!  In honor of National Business Women's Day, we are highlighting a few fab'rik women who give meaning to the phrase #girlboss.  Follow us as we feature fearless women and their stories this week!

JULIE MYERS
FROM STYLIST TO STORE OWNER

My love for fashion started at a young age. My mother would take me shopping with her as a young girl from as far back as I could remember. I would pull sweaters off shelves and re fold them as my mom would shop and try on clothes. The sales associates loved me! As I journeyed through college and began my search for #whyamihere? I knew that fashion would always find it's place somewhere in my future.

As I entered the work force, eager and ready to get my #girlboss on, I worked my corporate job Monday - Friday and work as a stylist at Club Monaco because I was bored... and crazy. I worked with Club Monaco for 6 years while simultaneously working my regular 9-5 and realized that I looked forward to going to work on Saturday more than Monday. I knew then that I needed to find a way to make this profitable and my career.

This epiphany lead me to join the management team at fab'rik. I knew that I wanted to own my own boutique and build my own empire, but as a self admitted obsessive compulsive and control freak, I had to know all the ins and outs of the business before taking the leap. I have managed the Buckhead store for a little over a year now and it was the best decision I have ever made. I became a sponge and soaked in every bit of information and process that I could. I wanted to know it all and I learned it all and then some. In addition to gaining knowledge, I gained a fab'rik family.

I am so blessed to now be in the position to bring what I have learned and loved back to the start. I am now opening a store where I once shopped with my mother and dreamed of owning a boutique. If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.

WALK IN HER SHOES

My perfect outfit would be a great basic top with a little flair (a front train, gold buttons, anything that gives the ordinary a pretty twist), a fur vest (because this is my fall staple), leather shorts (leather shorts automatically give an outfit an edge), heeled booties (because my mom says that I have bad posture and heels always make me stand up straight), topped off with a hat... a great fall hat. All of this combined create a boho chic look that is me and guides me from a business lunch with my style idol Victoria Beckham in NYC to drinks with friends and dinner with my husband.   

JULIE'S PICKS

Leather Detail Blouse, $44 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/tops/products/long-sleeve-leather-detail-blouse) 
BB Dakota Beale Top, $66 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/tops/products/bb-dakota-beale-top)
Cropped Fur Vest, $84 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/products/fabrik-cropped-fur-vest) 
Slit Leather Booties, $46 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/shoes/products/slit-leather-booties)
Suede Slit Ankle Booties, $38 (http://shop.fabrikstyle.com/collections/shoes/products/suede-slit-ankle-bootie-taupe)

fab'rik at New York Fashion Week

We at fab'rik pride ourselves on staying ahead of the game when it comes to trends, styles and all things fabulous! So we gathered a team and headed to Manhattan for New York Fashion Week!

That time has come! We've immersed ourselves among the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, where all the style influencers gather twice a year to relish in the fashionable frenzy that engrosses New York for Fashion Week.

Designers have prepped their forecasted Spring/Summer 2015 styles and are sending them down the runway! Street style has increasingly grown more and more relevant to the consumers and on-lookers of fashion week. Some saying it is more important to watch than the runway presentations themselves.

So we have captured a few of our favorite looks from New York Fashion Week for your viewing pleasure!

Highlights of our trip were networking with the influencers that gathered in NYC for the seasonal fete and of course, meeting Alessandra Ambrosio at one of the many events during fashion week hosted by Schutz for their Fall collection.

Fashion blogger Rachael of EverythingHauler.com also took to Coney Island during her Fashion Week coverage in fab'rik with our ASHER maxi dress for Fall!

Honor Runway at New York Fashion Week

fab'rik team with Alessandra Ambrosio

Alessandra Ambrosio at Shutz Fashion Week Fall Preview Event

Rooftop Cocktail break in between shows at Fashion Week

Spotted in NYC- Cab Life is Fab here

Backstage Makeup with MAC at Vivienne Tam

Rachael of EverytingHauler.com Wearing ASHER Maxi Fall

EverythingHauler.com

Rachael Dickhute of EverythingHauler.com wearing ASHER maxi for Fall

Happy Birthday to fab'rik! A note from our CEO

Team,

So I know there are many vintage fab'rik ladies that have heard this story but for all of the newbies, I wanted to take a minute to share the behind the scenes fab'rik story because while fab'rik is chic and cool now, the beginning was anything but :)

As most of you know, fab'rik came to be out of a break up with my 7 year boyfriend....I was supposed to be moving to NYC to start our life together and I called him on my bday in June many years ago to discuss flight info and heard a girl in the background...not good news for me at the time but great news for the rest of my life. I can't lie, I did the typical, can't get out of my bed, sobbing, crying, pranking him, crying, maybe we can work it out, crying routine until my roommates took away the phone (yes we had one in the house, not a cell back in the day.) I remember paying for my gas at the gas station one day and the guy said 'how are you today" and I gave him a 5 minute speech on my breakup and asked him what he would do?!?!?  About a month later, I decided, well really my best friends decided I had to figure out what made me happy, what I wanted to do with my life, what in the world could take away this pain and frankly had to get out of bed and live again. So after many online tests and wine dinners with friends, strumming through the dictionary for a name...fab'rik was born-or atleast the idea. I started the business plan, came up with the name and I was off! 

August 1st 2000: I woke up that morning, the first morning in a long time where I could get out of bed without my heart 100% broken, got dressed in what would later be called my court outfit :) and went downtown to get fab'rik incorporated, it was official. While all I had was a piece of paper, it was the beginning of a dream. As most of you know I love the quote "A goal is just a dream with a deadline" so I gave myself one. I told myself in 1 year I am going to open this store.  So that night my girlfriends came over to require me to go out. Now this was a huge deal because since my breakup, I didn't go out. I liked to stay at home so I could cry as much as I wanted and tell the same old theories of why I could make it work with this guy, maybe that was his sister on the phone, I know he loves me....blah blah blah. They weren't having it. They were not only taking me out, they were taking me dancing in the old school Buckhead area...for those of you who are too young, this place was like no other, streets and streets of bars. Beyond fun...beyond cheesy. Long story short....we were dancing and all of a sudden looked over at my friend Counts and said" That guy right there, that's my husband" She kinda laughed but then she knew me so well so knew I was probably going to go tell him that....which I did. I walked up to my now Husband Angelo and said"I know this sounds crazy but I'm going to marry you" He gave his signature Angelo smile and with 8 guys surrounding didn't call me crazy to my face :). As if that wasn't awkward enough I also told him my mom told me I was going to marry a Taurus so had to make sure he was one. After explaining several times it was a sun sign not a tourist, he showed me his license and May 1st confirmed he was in fact a Taurus :) We decided to go on a date that saturday night, he asked for my number of which I wouldn't give him and got his...I was not letting this one get away and wanted to make sure our date happened. It did and so did every day since then. Starting my dream business in the morning and finding the love of my life that day, that is a productive day! 

I feel like I was just a kid at 26 trying to come up with a vision for this company...what I wanted to put in that blank (but my banker wouldn't let me) was: "My vision is that we are still open in a year"...but after many hours of hashing one out I put " to create a boutique where everyone can afford to feel beautiful." fab'rik does that, you all do that each day as you remind a mom who just had a baby that she can wear skinny jeans or when you share the joy of a newly engaged customer  or most importantly you listen to the girl who just got broken up with and she leaves with a pair of shoes but really with the hope that she is beautiful even as she is broken.

As I woke up this morning, this side of story, the messy side of the story was running through my head and my heart and wanted to share it with you all. I am so grateful that God has given me the ability to discern what I want and the courage to go after what I need. Now, there are times I have messed this up-what I want and what I need :) but I have been given the endurance to try again, to wipe away ego and fight for what I believe in, follow my passion and finally now live for the purpose that I believe God wanted all along for fab'rik. Thank you all for doing this with me.

I love you all more than you ever will know. My entire heart is in this company and I would do anything for any of you. I have tears as i am typing this because I wish you all were here so I could tell each of you individually, thank you! Thank you for loving fab'rik so much. We have so much to look forward to and I'm so blessed to be on this adventure with all of you! Believe it or not, it's only just begun!

xoxo

Q&A with fab'rik Franchisee Jessica Harvey

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.

For more information or to learn about franchise opportunities to own a fab’rik, visit www.fabrikstyle.com/franchise.    

fab'rik in Panama City News Herald

The business profile in the Panama City News Herald talks about what fab’rik offers the community and why Kristen Cress, owner of fab'rik in Pier Park in Panama City Beach, Fla., loves the work that she does. 

Photo from: Andrew Wardlow | The News Herald

Business service provided: The mission of fab’rik is to “deliver high style with heart, no attitude or sticker shock,” and become the #1 high-end boutique without the high-end price in the country. fab’rik offers a wide variety of women’s clothing and accessories, with all items priced at $100 or less, except for the brand’s extensive designer denim collection. By carrying a limited quantity of each item, fab’rik celebrates its customers’ unique sense of style. Customers can receive personal attention and recommendations from the in-store stylists, or even shop fab’rik online.

Years in business: three months

How did you get into this business? I majored in fashion merchandising and took part in a fashion internship in New York before opening my own clothing store in Mississippi in 2006. After relocating to Atlanta for work, fab’rik became my go-to shopping destination. One day I saw a news feature about “Women of Atlanta” that focused on fab’rik’s founder and CEO, Dana Spinola, and after learning that fab’rik was a franchise, I made it my mission to open my favorite store in my dream location.

See the full article here.