Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Pyeatt.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Amy. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
When I was 17, my parents opened ABC Country Store in Katy Texas. It was a store that carried feed, animal health products, tack, garden supplies, boots, clothing, and gifts.
Essentially, it was a general store. You could get pretty much anything you wanted there. I was cheap labor, so I immediately started helping out. I learned so much from being immersed in the family business. I was taught display, merchandising, marketing, and buying, Most importantly I was able to learn the finance and management portion.
At 21, I met my husband, Boone. I was still in college and working for my folks. The Rockin’ A B was actually our cattle brand (Amy & Boone). Boone and I dabbled in raising/showing Longhorn cattle while we were dating and early on in our marriage.
Rockin’ A B was already established legally, so we kept the name when we started our business in April of 1999. The business focused on designing metal work and western home furnishings. We sold mainly to stores and not directly to the consumer. During this time, Rockin’ A B was therapy. It was the ability to create, work together, and earn a little money to get more tools to be more creative.
Boone and I married in 2000, and I moved to Dallas to be with him. I gained employment with one of the clothing lines we carried at ABC Country Store. It was huge to me. I was the assistant to the lead designer of one of the main lines in the design house and was able to soak up so much knowledge. Unfortunately, a year and a half later, there was a wave of layoffs because the parent company had lost the manufacturing rights to one of their brands. I was out of a job.
Again, I had Rockin’ A B. We were still doing furnishings, but I started playing with the idea of soft goods. I was bored with working on men’s and women’s apparel. Children’s apparel and accessories just seemed like a happier place to be. I began selling my goods in the family store, and one of the sales reps found it and asked to carry it on the road with her other lines. Within a few weeks, I was represented in 47 states.
In 2003, we had our first appearance at the Dallas World Trade Center, and in 2005 we were picked up by the Ziebell Showroom. We decided to focus on this team to take us forward, and we’ve stayed there ever since. In all the years of selling our children’s clothing and accessories, we’ve sold to over 3000 stores now.
In 2004, we began a pop-up shop at Canton’s First Monday Trade Days. The store was open four days a month every month. It was a way to sell items that were still prime quality but were maybe an older dye lot, or maybe a fabric that was about to run out and we couldn’t take it back to the market.
By 2017, we decided to leave Canton and open a permanent store in our favorite little Downtown- McKinney. It’s where we always took visiting family and friends. McKinney oozes charm, and we thought Rockin’ A B would fit in seamlessly.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s never been a completely smooth road, but I’m a huge planner, very careful, and I think that has prevented us from hitting too many potholes. I like to grow very slowly and analyze every single possible scenario. There’s always a plan B and even C.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Rockin’ A B – what should we know?
Rockin’ A B Designs is a children’s clothing and accessories line with a retro vibe. Rockin’ A B is the retail store that merges our house line of products with our hand-selected toys, books, and so much more with the same vintage feel.
We are known for carrying products that remind you of your childhood while also carrying items that are new and fresh. Whenever we can, we try to get products that are made in the US. As designers, we’ve been able to access unique products before they even go to the market and some products before they were popularized by shows like Shark Tank.
What I’m most proud of is the fact that we’ve stayed relevant through all of these years. People continue to shop with us as their kids grow. I haven’t been afraid to morph and change the business model to accommodate further growth and maintain customer satisfaction.
What sets us apart is the curated collection of goods selected to invoke that nostalgic feeling that gives you the warm fuzzies from your childhood, while still staying current with new trends.
2019 marks 20 years of Rockin’ A B.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’m so blessed to have the Ziebells that are like a second family as my sales reps for our wholesale line. They’ve steered that ship in the right direction for 14 years now. It grows every year which is highly uncommon in wholesale.
I’m thankful for more than six years of working with Ashley Prescott, our store manager in McKinney. She wanted to take on the challenge of a retail space after being with us through the Canton days.
My husband, Boone is the other half of Rockin’ A B and takes it just as seriously as I do.We do all aspects of the business together and its a great partnership. Over the years we’ve discovered each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
While one may struggle, the other compensates. We’ve really learned to work together toward the same goals. After almost 20 years of working together, we’ve hit a stride where we can work together and have fun together. I’ve got to give most credit to my parents. ABC Country Store closed its doors after my dad had a stroke in 2008.
My daddy passed three years ago, but he instilled a dogged determination in me that runs deep. He was not swayed by obstacles and took business of any size very seriously. He loved to “cuss and discuss” every aspect of our companies. He was always focused on what was next and how to get there.
My Mama is the one I consult to this day on an almost daily basis. She gave me private art lessons (and every other kind of lesson that would broaden by horizons) at an early age and didn’t begrudge the fact that I took the love of what most would consider a hobby and made it a career path. She’s supportive, but not blindly.
As an entrepreneur and business owner most of her life too, she isn’t afraid to give her opinion even if it’s not what I may want to hear, but need to. They were criticized by some for involving me in every aspect of their business affairs at such an early age.
I guess some thought it was too much information and I was being cheated out of the blissful oblivion of childhood. Without all of that knowledge, I know for a fact, I would not have the foundation that I’ve built our business on.
Contact Info:
- Address: 109 W. Virginia Suite #101 McKinney, TX 75069
- Website: www.rockinab.com
- Phone: 469-907-1053
- Email: hello@rockinab.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/rockinab
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/RockinABDesigns/
Image Credit:
Texas Red Photography, Cassie Loree Photography
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