Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Kirkland.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Almost any origin story can be long and winding or condensed into something short and sweet, and it’s hard to find the exact right sweet spot of Custard’s beginnings but I will do my best. Part of me created a store and a brand when I was in middle school, I had a note book where I kept drawings and ideas and made up fake customers and wrote reviews- which is funny to think about now, because at the time I was in middle school there was no internet- no cell phones. In fact, when I first opened the store cell phones didn’t have cameras yet! Anyway, that dream was on the back burner until I visited Savannah for the first time in 2007 and just fell in love. The weekend my now husband and I visited here was the weekend we signed a lease on a new apartment and we just took the leap. Custard opened in 2008, a few months after we moved to Savannah, GA from Asheville, NC and the store served up small batch lines, handmade jewelry, eco friendly clothing, and fun accessories. We have grown since then, expanded to a larger location, and opened a second location in Greenville, SC in 2012. It was important to me for the items we sold to have certain values attached to them- something as simple as eco friendly, or fair trade, or woman owned, or made in the USA. We have faced many challenges along the way, the economy taking. dive, covid, and now tariffs, but because I love what I do so much, and put so much of my heart and soul into the business, I believe we can ride any wave.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For sure one of the hardest struggles for me personally is finding a work/life balance. I tend to be a very hard worker and have a hard time turning it off and as the business has grown, so has social media. You can be tuned in pretty much 24/7 nowadays. Another struggle is meeting the demands in the metaverse while being present in the present. It’s a lot of work. When I think about advice I would give someone when asking about my struggles as a small business owner, I would say- don’t be open 7 days a week if you can help it- allow yourself to have some time just for you.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an owner, a buyer, a curator, a temporary therapist, a stylist, a friend, a personal shopper, and great gift pickeroutter and wrapper.
One of the things I am most proud of is the times when I can tell my store is helping people, creating safe spaces for people to be themselves, and also, that my job has allowed me to help my community in ways I couldn’t if I weren’t working for myself.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Hard work, and trusting myself and my inner voice. And empathy goes a long way too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://custardboutique.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/custardsavannah/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@custardboutique6199
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/custardgville/
