Rising Stars: Meet Tracy Gunn of Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy Gunn

Hi Tracy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In 2012, I was laid off along with over 400 people from a job I had had for many years. Being that I was an animal pharmaceutical rep to large animals like cattle and horses that job didn’t transfer well to other industries. I was a single mother to two teenage boys that were involved in high level sports that required a tremendous amount of time and money. After a couple of months of no income with no savings the stress was really high. I had found some soaps that I loved in Las Vegas a few years back and I had ran out so with no money to buy them I had a wild thought that maybe I could make them. It was a random thought but what else did I have to do? I spent a little bit of time researching how to make soap and ended up buying $82.00 worth of soap making supplies. I was a bit irritated that I had done that given that that money could have bought groceries but it was ordered. The first few soaps I made were terrible but friends and family lied to me and told me they were great so I just kept making it. If nothing else it was keeping my mind busy in a moment of fear and confusion. I was basically broke and close to homelessness with two kids. All of the stress caused me to get shingles so I found myself sick and unable to do anything but rest so I laid in bed watching Blue Bloods episodes while heavily medicated. One of the episodes of Blue Bloods was about a homeless mother in NYC and it got me to thinking that I am not the only one in this situation. I had this idea that I could employ other moms that would otherwise not have a chance. I had always been a fighter and especially for those that couldn’t fight for themselves. I called the NYC Mayors office and told them my mission and they connected me with a place called Susan’s Place in the Bronx and The Coalition for the Homeless. Within 3 months of making soap I was on my way to NYC to participate in a Holiday Market in the Garment District. I spent 4 months in NYC and I employed over 15 women that were living in the shelters with their children. In the next six months I had successfully put together a line of bath bombs, soaps, lotions, etc that were superior in quality, beautifully designed with bright colors and amazing smells and combined those products with a mission to only employ women who were single mothers and had very few options. I was determined to be the fighter for those that couldn’t fight for themselves. With an amazing team of women we were able to wholesale products to over 3,000 stores across the country including Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s. I was so fortunate to be blessed with spending time with amazing companies like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. I was able to create products and fragrances for them along with many other companies like Unilever and help with product development for many emerging brands. My oldest son and I went on a trip to Cuba and there I found a very old perfumery that has been making perfumes far longer than I had been alive. It is where Coco Chanel spent time creating fragrances. I left Cuba wanting to bring something that special to the USA. Just before Covid happened we closed the wholesale side of our business and chose to open retail where I could control the way the products were displayed and the ingredients that went into them. I had no idea at the time that it would be the best decision I could have made. Covid was hard on businesses and we weren’t exempt. It was obvious that the normal way of shopping was over and we needed to reinvent who we were. Within a few weeks of the beginning of Covid every business had found it’s way online so it was an all out fight to be relevant in a quickly changing environment day to day so I decided that we would simply create an experience that you couldn’t get online. I ordered over 100 fragrances and created a very unique experience in perfume making that you just can’t get anywhere else. Story Fragrance was born from that moment and became so sought after that we were booked months in advance. My husband James joined me full time and life hasn’t been the same. He runs all the logistics and builds all of the creative displays and photo spaces in our store. He actually keeps everything in order because I start 10 projects at one time and he always finishes them. James is the social person in our business. He loves meeting people and often remembers everyone and where they are from. We unintentionally became the go to place for many bachelorette parties so that the Bride to Be could make her wedding day perfume. Our original retail location was Savannah Georgia but after our lease ended we chose to make our main business home in Nashville with Savannah, Charleston, Scottsdale, New Orleans and Miami being available as well. We have people from all over the country that come to us to create a unique fragrance that only they will have. All of the oils that we use are European grade oils and we don’t use any preservatives at all. We are now booking wedding, bridal showers, corporate events and bachelorette parties all over the country and booked almost a year in advance. We have an upcoming pop up in New York City in the Fall of 2025 which is of course very special to me because that is where it all began. Most importantly, rather than franchising, our goal is to make it possible for people that might never have the chance at owning their own business that opportunity. We are partnering with several investors and non profits to be able to give a Story Fragrance to deserving individuals and help them thrive as business owners.

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?
It has not been a smooth road. In fact it has been so full of pot holes in the road to success!!! The biggest struggle has been truly not understanding the financial side of running a business. I ma wildly creative and can create magical fragrances and products but I am a terrible accountant. If I could go back knowing what I know now I would have partnered with a strong accounting minded person or at least hired a financial advisor. But, I strongly believe that if I would have known the financial risks I wouldn’t have accomplished what I did. My ignorance is what made me fearless and able to accomplish what I did in a short amount of time but it also caused some real hardships. My strongest advice to anyone that has a dream or an idea is just to do it. You will fail many times but just don’t stop. You will learn along the way and the ones that truly succeed are the ones too hard headed to quit. The moment you have nothing and are dead broke is the most free you will ever be. Once you have nothing left to lose you will have everything to gain and it will free you from the fear of failing. I love the failures because that means we are about to get it right

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am most know for creating outstanding perfume and bath and body products that are superior in quality. I am most proud of my wildly creative side that allows me to easily create an environment that stands out from all other retail and products that keep customers coming back for more. I think what sets me apart from others is that I truly don’t know what others are doing. I focus on what we need to be doing 3-5 years down the road so the day to day stuff doesn’t really affect me. I have seen others come and go and we have been asked to franchise but most people don’t realize what it takes to be an entrepreneur. It is the hard times that I enjoy the most and those times can be the what makes others quit. I truly enjoy the fight to survive and that survival instinct is something I developed from a bad childhood and the way I was raised so it isn’t something that can be learned in college or even taught to a person that hasn’t had to live it.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memories was being on a horse. I was a bit of a wild child and would cut fences and roam anywhere I wanted to go

Pricing:

• 55.00
• Appointments are recommended
• For large events please plan months in advance
• We customize labels to any theme

Contact Info:

• Website: https://storyfragrancelibrary.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storyfragrancelibrary/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storyfragrancelibrary/