This post was originally published on Atlanta Voice
By Bria Suggs
The Sistah Shop, a lifestyle retail store that promotes brands founded by women of color, will open its momentary location in Atlantic Station on the weekend of June 16. The 4,040-square-foot store will offer products from more than 75 local stores. and national trademarks.
“The Sistah Shop is a sanctuary for brotherhood,” said EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR and founder Aisha Taylor Issah. “It’s a lovely retreat that showcases products and facilities from brands owned by black women from across the country. It is an area where sisters can come and buy products and ad establishments that have been created by women who look like them and have them in mind.
Taylor Issah sees her business as a springboard for marketers looking to enter global retail but may not be able to do so. Many logos discovered in The Sistah Shop see their products sold in a store for the first time. What Taylor Issah likes to see is that other discoverers can expand their logo and increase their revenue.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, Taylor Issah also worked in governance and was an ordained minister.
“Entrepreneurship discovered me; it was nothing I had dreamed of or imagined,” he said.
Taylor Issah left her position in new york city government to explore other roles, when the coronavirus ended her contract and allowed her to be a full-time entrepreneur. In 2017, Taylor Issah established The Sistahs in Business Expo (SIB EXPO), which is the parent company of The Sistah Shop and Sistahs in Business University.
According to its website, SIB EXPO is the country’s only multi-city exhibition for small businesses and was created in particular to celebrate and teach women marketers of color, offering a platform where women of color can showcase their products while also gaining resources and information. .
“We organized our first excursion in 2018; [we had] an incredibly overwhelming reaction from all the markets we’ve been in,” Taylor Issah said. “Then we knew we were into anything and we had created something that didn’t exist. “. “
The pandemic has hampered Taylor Issah’s ability to bond with others in person, prompting her to change her logo to allow her to continue helping other black founders.
“The Sistah store is the answer to that as it allowed us to continue to source this platform to give them space and the opportunity to showcase their products and services,” said Taylor Issah. . And of course, we also have the e-commerce side.
Taylor Issah, in particular, chose Atlanta for The Sistah Shop’s location of the moment because she feels it’s a house away from home for sib Expo. Even the New Jersey store offers many Atlanta-based brands.
“From the beginning, when we were on tour, we knew we were looking to reach markets that had the demographic we served, which black entrepreneurs,” Issah said. “Atlanta is a no-brainer. And so it’s been a component of our calendar and one of our main markets from the beginning.
The Sistah store offers for everyone, adding clothes, books, skin care and more.
Taylor Issah’s purpose is to continue expanding SIB Expo and The Sistah Shop to serve all primary urban markets.
“We necessarily target the Amazon of brands owned by black women,” Taylor Issah said. “A one-stop shop where other people can find everything. “
Amazon of black women-owned brands comes to Atlantic Station made first impressions on The Atlanta Voice.