Today we’d like to introduce you to Misty Davis.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I began my journey as an online retail boutique in 2012. I was a new mom that wanted cute styles for my own kids, so I started out retailing children’s clothing. I worked both a full-time corporate job along with running my online store and doing all the mom things. Being in the corporate world made me want to expand into women’s apparel. In 2015 I rebranded my boutique to women’s apparel.
As my boutique grew, I started getting bored buying for my store. I noticed a lot of the same styles and prints being offered among various brands. All the unique pieces that I did fall in love with had very long lead times. There were times when I would go to the apparel markets and place orders for items with an expected ETA of the following month. I would not receive those items until six months later! Sometimes the brand would cancel the order altogether (due to not receiving enough market orders) and never notify me. It was very frustrating and hard to plan what I wanted to offer my own customers. In early 2019 an opportunity arose and I decided I wanted to start my own brand. My goal was to provide excellent customer service, only sell what I knew for sure I was going to put into production, and I wanted to manufacture primarily in the USA.
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?
Some of the struggles I faced were due to the Covid shutdowns. All of the factories I utilized had completely closed, leaving many projects on hold. As the factories have re-opened there is a large backlog for many brands trying to get caught up on production runs.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am the owner of a women’s apparel brand called Misty BD. I design, manufacture, and wholesale my pieces to boutiques both online and brick and mortar. The majority of my pieces are manufactured in the USA and offered in sizes S-3X. I am known for having great customer service and awesome quality pieces. The fact that I have expanded into Canada and the UK has made me super proud of all the work I am putting into my brand.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Don’t be afraid to ask your buyers what they think about a sample piece before you put it into production. Your buyers will be buying for their customers. If they don’t think it will sell, you will save yourself a lot of money.
Contact Info:
- Email: mistybdwholesale@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.mistybd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mistybd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mistybd
Image Credits
Joan & Brent Photography and also Denim & Velvet Marketing
