Rising Stars: Meet Erika Fox of Eagleville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika Fox

Hi Erika, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started my business, Fox Tag Designs, in January 2024. I was working full time at our local school, and due to snow we were closed for several days and stuck inside. Back in the fall, I had seen a video on Instagram of a girl in Arkansas making these custom trucker hats and I thought “how fun would that be?!”. I mentioned it to my husband and daughter and they were like “go for it”. So I did! It was a small investment initially, and I thought I would maybe make a 100 hats. Since starting, I have made over 2,000 hats, and have done more than 70 pop ups/private events! I have made so many amazing connections through this business. One connection, and lots of signs that felt meant to be, led to me purchasing my second business in less than 6 months of starting my first! In July of 2024, I bought a bridal boutique in Shelbyville, TN. My mom and I had always talked about running a boutique together and the timing just felt right. Honey’s Bridal and Boutique is a lifelong dream, and I am so blessed to get to have my mom by my side. We changed the name of the store to Honey’s to honor my late grandmother, my mom’s mom, Laurie Hicks. She used to tell us how in college, her nickname was “Honey”, because she was so sweet, so Honey’s just felt right. So now, at 42 and having always worked for someone else ( I’ve had a “side-hustle” my entire adult life, but this is the first time it ever been 100% MINE) I decided to go all in on these two businesses. I am excited to see what God has planned for the future. Everything that has happened is a blessing from Him, and I am so thankful.

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?
Honestly, it has been smoother than I anticipated. It has been a challenge trying to balance everything. From working full-time, helping coach middle school cheer, going to all of my son’s sporting events and trying to run a couple of business – I felt a little like I was running in circles. I recently decided to leave my full time job at the school, and while I miss being there, the time I have gained back has been great! I am NOT typically great with the business side of things; the paperwork, the accounting, the website building, etc….so I am working on that, or in some instances delegating those things out.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Fox Tag Designs, is a custom trucker hat business. We do private events, birthday parties, corporate events, boutique pop ups, etc. We have a large selection of patches, hats, charms, pins, and chains for you to choose from. We bring everything to you, you choose what you want on your hat, and we press it on site for you! We also take orders for hats via social media. You just let me know what you are looking for, I pull patches and take pictures of layouts until we find the right look, I press them at my home and then will leave out for porch pick up, or can ship! I have made hats for customers in Detroit, Chicago, Ohio, Louisiana, Florida.. all over! I feel like what sets us apart from others doing the same (trucker hats are quite the trend right now), is our huge selection of patches, and how much we love to interact with the customers- helping design the perfect layout is my favorite part! We have also done bags, pouches, beanies and have recently started offering patched sweatshirts for the fall and winter season!

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We are always looking to partner with local businesses for pop ups! It helps get our name out and we love shopping at and supporting other local small businesses. We can also work with our supplier to create custom patches for your business and press them on hats for gifts, advertising, etc.

Pricing:

• Custom Trucker hat with up to 4 patches is $35
• additional patches $1-$6 depending on size
• Chains $5-10
• Charms and pins $3

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.foxtagdesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foxtagdesigns
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555616496663
• Other: https://www.honeysbridalandboutique.com