My Bio
I was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. A once sleepy town on the west coast of the sunshine state. In 1991 my mom opened her 1st retail shop (a consignment shop) in our dying downtown core. She helped to pioneer the small business culture downtown and spent several years as president of the downtown business association, advocating for life to be brought back to our once vibrant city center. I grew up watching this and realizing that even the smallest of businesses can have a real impact on the world around us.
Fast forward 20 years, I opened my own store, MISRED Outfitters, just a few blocks from where my mom had once thrived. With $17K in savings, I started on my own small business journey. When MISRED opened, my block was the quintessential artist district, and MISRED was it’s flagship vintage shop. Eventually as the block got busier, I did whatever I could to keep up.
I tried clothing design, I opened off site buying offices to focus on our online business, floor change planning & distribution. I opened, then closed, a second location across town. All of those growth plans turned out to be stifling. But I learned a ton and never gave up.
Eventually St. Pete changed and I saw an opportunity to change as well. Today MISRED is no longer vintage but instead, a lifestyle boutique in the likes of Anthropologie. MISRED is a lifestyle brand for the modern bohemian. Our customers have a sense of adventure that permeates their wardrobe, brings creativity to their accessories and gives an eclectic vibe to their home decor. They shop with intention, which is why we are home to over 25 handmade lines (including local & fair trade artisans). With all our changes over the years, my company has doubled in size and is making over a million dollars a year in revenue. But more importantly I'm an active participant in my community, creating an immersive shopping experience for the people who live in my now not so sleepy sunshine city.