Bella Vita launched a blog titled “Boss Lady” in March 2017 - after years of being inspired by the women that we are friends with, work with, or do business with, that are building their empire doing what they love. Running a business takes work, and getting started takes courage. At Bella Vita, we wanted to take this opportunity to praise and encourage some of the great female entrepreneurs we have met over the years and we hope to inspire more young women (and men) to follow their instinct/talent/passion and become entrepreneurs.
My team and I are reaching out to the woman owned businesses that inspire and amaze us on a daily basis. We will start with a brief background, then dive into the nitty gritty of running a business, what keeps them inspired, and everything else in between.
I am Kendall Thomas Sandifer. 29 years old. Owner, buyer & creative director of Fringe Clothing (Little Rock & Fayetteville, Arkansas). I grew up in Little Rock, and graduated from UALR with Bachelor of Fine Arts & Graphic Design. I am married to Blake Sandifer, who is the owner of ArkansasLiveMusic.com, Podunk Products & my business partner/right hand man at Fringe Clothing. We live in North Little Rock, with our 2 French bulldogs, Amos & Jackpot, and our cat, Carla Tate. My husband and I started Fringe 4 years ago and opened our first location in the River Market in Downtown Little Rock. Fringe was the first clothing store in Downtown Little Rock in 10 years. It was a total shot in the dark, but the BEST shot we could have taken! We LOVE our River Market neighborhood!
After 2.5 years of being in business in Little Rock and running a social media account (@fringe_LR), we quickly realized we had a huge Fayetteville following and we needed to expand and make a move. So two years ago, we opened our second Fringe location in the heart of Fayetteville (@fringe_Ville). I am constantly bouncing between the two stores, managing store layouts, employees, Bulldogs, buying, doing inventory and whatever needs to be done that day. 
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Give us your elevator pitch. Our vision and goal for our customers is to create a fun, positive environment that our customers want to be a part of. We want to be more than a clothing store. We want to be friends. We want to make you feel good and confident in your clothes. And also, want to keep our price point affordable, so you can have fun shopping, without having to check price tags the whole time. Fringe is my favorite place in the whole world and I hope you feel a little piece of that when you walk in our doors.
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What is your business? Fringe Clothing is a women’s boutique. We focus on fun, cute, comfortable, AFFORDABLE fashion for women of all ages.
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When did you start your business? Fringe Clothing started in Little Rock in December of 2013.
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What inspired you to make the leap? I was inspired by being unhappy (in my corporate job) and wanting to create a happy, positive atmosphere for myself, my employees and my customers.
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What helps you get started each morning? Coffee, diet coke, 10-mile jog, meditation?? Coffee. I am not a morning person. Don't cross me before 9am.....
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Tell us about a day in the life of running your business. I start by drinking coffee and checking emails at home. I make it to the store around 9:30-10am and start to prep for the day. That consists of anything from cleaning the store, rearranging the floor and re-merchandising, to taking Instagram pictures and catching up with our followers. I typically work in the store during our business hours (11am - 6pm) with my 2 french bulldogs. Yes, my dogs go to work with me every day :)
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What keeps you motivated? I find motivation in so many things. But mostly through our happy customers, by making friends with customers in the store and our loyal Instagram followers. There is nothing more motivating than seeing people happy in a place you created.
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Describe your dream day. Beach. Frozen Drink. Blake.
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What is your greatest strength/super power? My super power is being able to stay positive and not stop. Positive attitudes change the world.
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Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat? Easy. INSTAGRAM (praise hands)
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What do you do in your free time? (ha! What is free time?!) Orange Theory Fitness is my stress outlet, you can usually find me there after work. I love hanging out with my two frenchies, Amos & Jackpot, & painting. Painting is my “side gig”. (Check me out on Facebook @ Kendall Thomas / Art or on Instagram #KendallThomasArt)
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If an investor gave you 1 million dollars to use toward your business, how would you spend it? I'd invest it in a warehouse, online store & take over.
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What’s the biggest risk you ever took; how did it go? FRINGE. Opening a clothing store in Downtown Little Rock 4.5 years ago was a huge risk in my eyes. We were the first clothing store in 10 years to come in and try to make it... 4.5 years later, it was the best decision we’ve ever made!
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Which iconic person inspires you? Ellen, when I think of a positive, always having fun person, Ellen Degneres is just that.
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Do you have a favorite, inspiring quote? “Positive energy is the most attractive thing about a person.” It's my favorite thing to tell myself and my employees.
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Who are you in your next life? Amos McMann Sandifer, my 4-year-old french bulldog. Because who wouldn't want to work in a boutique, get loved on by cute girls, go out for a stroll with Daniel (the dog walker) and friends, then come home, eat dinner and lounge. I think I could handle it.
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Any secrets on how you balance the ins and outs of running a small business? It’s very easy to get overwhelmed with all the different aspects of running a business. Take it one day at a time. Have a "Get Shit Done" kind of attitude every day.
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What’s the best advice you have for other women wanting to be entrepreneurs? DO IT. Ask questions and figure out how to make it possible.
Visit Fringe in person:
at 112 River Market Ave, Little Rock, AR 72201
Or
413 North West Ave, Fayetteville, AR 82701
Follow Fringe on social media:
Little Rock - Facebook, Instagram
Fayetteville - Facebook, Instagram
All Photos By: Saira Khan