Katie Wells - AR Workshop
How/what did you start your business?
AR Workshop is a boutique franchise that started in June 2016. When I discovered them from a Facebook feed, I was in a very comfortable corporate role with a large consulting company. My job was a working mom's dream. I worked 100% from home. I was compensated well. I had a great work / life balance and worked a comfortable 40 hour week. But that was it. It was comfortable.
I couldn't stop thinking about AR Workshop. It was this beautiful Modern Farmhouse shop that brought women together to create, decorate, and socialize. I knew I would be the first customer there and knew I had so many friends who would love it, too. I reached out to the founder, Maureen Anders (The A of the AR) to pulse if she would be willing to allow me to bring the brand to Alexandria. Little did I know that she had plans to have many ARs around the country. After many conversations, sleepless nights, number crunching, and business cases presented to my husband (to reassure him I wasn't being 'risky' for wanting to quit a regular paying job, to bring an absolute unknown brand and business with no historical data, and open up a brick and mortar in expensive Old Town Alexandria).
I signed on in September 2016 to open up AR Workshop's first Virginia and Mid-Atlantic shop and found and signed a lease to my first brick and mortar in October 2016. We opened doors to our 2nd floor loft in Feb 2017 and was AR Workshop's 7th shop. Today, there are over 140 shops in the U.S.
What inspires you?
Traveling. Whether locally to different towns in Virginia, within the US, or abroad. My favorite thing to do is taking a few hours to myself to wander. Checking out local shops, finding the hidden streets, and just exploring. Every place has their own special thing and it inspires what I bring back home.
What are you most proud of?
For the most part, my ability to adapt and embrace what is. On the flip side, I think it can also be a flaw because I'm so quick to jump and take action that I fail to sit back and take a beat and assess and evaluate first. I've learned to recognize that and it's a work in progress. But, that is another question and interview story.
Tell us something that folks wouldn't know about you?
I love the beach and vacations always include feet in the sand, but I'm a little terrified of the ocean. I own a DIY and crafting studio, but I rarely craft. Not until a few months ago during quarantine, I didn't have one single AR Workshop project in my house. What's that saying? "In the house of the shoemaker, there are no shoes" Sorry that's a few things...
Tell us about a time you overcame a challenge?
We are a DIY studio and crafting place. We promoted and helped people host large crafting parties and gatherings. Up until March 2020, we offered in-studio workshops with an average of 15-20 people per class. This shut down abruptly. What now? My goal was to 1. pay employees 2. pay my landlord 3. make it through so we can reopen our doors on the flip side.
Ironically, we thrived and March - June (the height of the pandemic when all retail in Alexandria had doors closed) were some of our best revenue generating months. This goes back to question #4. My ability to adapt and embrace 'what is' and make the most of it.
Our brand quickly pivoted and took projects that were once only offered in studio and offered DIY-To-Go, with all instructions and supplies packed up and sent home (or shipped) out to enjoy at home. We added so many more products to our gift shop, which was minimal and frequented mostly by in-studio customers, and created an online shop so customers could make purchases and have items picked up and shipped. While we cannot host large parties, and I don't see that happening for quite some time, we are now able to provide more ways of doing DIY than we did before. We do things differently now and it's still evolving.
How do you overcome adversity?
See #6 above
What advice would you give someone who wants to start their own business?
If you have an idea or passion that you think about 24/7 and will work on it for free, you owe it to yourself to go all in and give it a try. There is never a right time. I didn't start until I was 42. Obviously, within reason and it's not going to put you and your family on the streets. You DO have to have a Plan B in case it doesn't work. That's just being realistic. But, nothing is a death sentence. If you try it and it fails, you go to Plan B. But at least you gave it a try. And, surround yourself with like-minded and kind people.