Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Reynolds.
Brooke, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I practiced commercial real estate law for seven years when I suddenly stopped and asked myself: “What do I want to be when I grow up? What do I want my life to look like and what do I want my story to be?” I was craving a creative outlet and a career where I felt that I was making a difference in someone’s life. It took about a year of journaling and praying before I came up with the answer: I would start a small business based on three things: women encouraging women, giving back and gorgeous jewelry. I’d never made jewelry before but I was determined to figure it out. I took some classes at a local bead shop and viola… Socialite Pink was born.
I started the company by doing small jewelry trunk shows in women’s homes. From the very beginning, we gave a portion of each party’s proceeds to a charity of the hostess’ choosing. Slowly the shows became bigger and bigger, eventually becoming full-blown fundraisers with 40 attendees. After two years of this social selling business model, I decided to focus on online sales and wholesale. I also added in large market vendor events. With all of these changes, I decided to update our giving to a simple one-for-one program: for every piece of jewelry that Socialite Pink sells, we’ll donate a piece to a girl or woman going through a tough time. We call it “sparkle you, sparkle her,” and we’ve donated thousands of pieces to hundreds of incredible non-profits since our start.
In 2019, Socialite Pink saw tremendous growth. It all stemmed from just two seemingly small business decisions that ended up having majorly fantastic results. The biggest lesson I learned from all the progress from 2019 is to not be afraid to be weird! Don’t try to cram your business into a mode that isn’t working for you just because that’s what everyone else is doing. Water what is working and watch your business/dream take off. This year, in the middle of a global pandemic, I took the major leap of faith and opened our first stand-alone brick and mortar store, located at Grandscape in The Colony. Operating our store has shown me the power of engaging with my customers directly in person within a space that exemplifies our brand. It’s even allowed us to bring back what started it all, our jewelry parties, which we call Pink Socials. It’s been amazing to see Socialite Pink expand all while staying true to our roots.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Anyone who tells you that entrepreneurship is easy has never done it. Over the years, I found that most successful entrepreneurs have a few things in common: 1) they fail fast, humbly admit when something isn’t working and quickly adjust, 2) they give as much as they get as far as helping other business owners around them succeed, and 3) they simply didn’t quit. Socialite Pink has had its fair share of twists and turns over the past seven years and I want women to know that if that’s their dream-chasing story, they’re not alone. Endurance is the cost to ride this ride. I’ve tried to appreciate every mountaintop, no matter how small, and to recognize that the low points are just the set-ups to the next mountain climb. I’ve had so many beautiful women pour into me on my journey. It is so important to me to always do the same as I continue this sparkly adventure.
Socialite Pink – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I design our jewelry collections and they’re locally made here in DFW by amazing women. Our aesthetic is boho-chic with a little bit of southern charm sprinkled on top. We always incorporate the hottest trends and are dedicated to affordable luxury. Our customers’ favorite compliment is that our pieces are “so light and dainty!” and we couldn’t agree more. I love creating statement pieces that are as light as a feather, as well as pieces that have multiple functions and can be worn a variety of ways. Our signature Pink Studio display is a classic favorite! Women can custom design a necklace by choosing any of our chains and then sliding on one of our beautiful charms. We really brought the Pink Studio to life in our new store in an incredible way, taking it from a tabletop display to an entire wall of gorgeous chains and sparkling charms.
My purpose is to encourage women and Socialite Pink is the perfect platform for that. From its very start, our company has donated to a wide variety of women and girl-centered charities, some national, some local. Our “sparkle you sparkle her” giving program isn’t about a particular cause: all we need to know is that there’s a woman or girl out there who could use some encouragement. This is our opportunity to let her know that she’s not alone and that other women are cheering her on.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
In 2019, I was blessed enough to operate a collective pop up with two other amazing female entrepreneurs. I learned so much about inventory management, merchandising and developing customer relationships. I absolutely loved it so when the term for our pop-up ended, I made the decision to search for a location for Socialite Pink’s first storefront. After months of searching, I found an incredible state of the art development in The Colony, Texas, called Grandscape, which is anchored by a huge concert stage and field and well-known national brands, including Scheels and Nebraska Furniture Mart.
Nestled among these large retailers is the Homestead, a collection of local brands and homegrown favorite companies, the perfect place to launch our first store. Most people would consider it crazy to open a retail store in the middle of a global pandemic. But rare opportunities often sprout in the middle of a storm. It was a calculated risk and my team and I really rallied together to create an incredible experience for our customers. My proudest moment was the day we opened the doors to our little corner of the world and I invited our customers in with the biggest smile possible.
Pricing:
- Our prices range from $16 to $69.
- At our Pink Studio display, customers can design a custom necklace for $40.
Contact Info:
- Address: Socialite Pink Store
5768 Grandscape Blvd. Suite 180
The Colony, Texas - Website: www.socialitepink.com
- Email: info@socialitepink.com
- Instagram: @socialitepink
Image Credit:
Alison Woomer
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