Community Highlights: Meet Cynthia Tidwell of Pink Glitter Thrift Boutique

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cynthia Tidwell.

Hi Cynthia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?  Hello, my name is Cynthia Tidwell, and I am the founder of “Pink Glitter Thrift Boutique”. It’s a trendy, nonprofit thrift store that promotes Breast Cancer Awareness and supports women undergoing cancer treatments. One of our programs, “Pampering by Pink Glitter” provides pampering events for cancer patients.

How did I come up with this concept? I grew up in a home where yardsaling and thrifting were a hobby for my mom. I didn’t learn to appreciate thrifting until my mid 20’s. In 1996, I went to school for Cosmetology. In 2007, I was certified by the American Cancer Society to facilitate support groups that provided wigs and makeup for cancer patients. In 2010, I had an abnormal breast examination and had to see a breast specialist for 2 years (every 6 months). It was then I researched and found that black women die from breast cancer more than any other race because we find out at later stages or due to a lack of resources.In 2013, I graduated from Tennessee State University with a degree in Accounting. After I walked across the stage, I realized that accounting was not what I wanted to do. I then asked God what I could do with my Accounting degree and he told me to do what I love. All of my passions came forth…and then, it came into my spirit to open up a thrift store that promotes Breast Cancer Awareness and offer pampering sessions for women going through cancer treatments.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This road has not been easy. I actually was going to close the business at the beginning of this year and asked God to show me a sign if I needed to remain open…random people started coming in from several states telling ME about “Pink Glitter”. Some of the things they would say are: “this is the best thrift store in Nashville”, “everyone’s raving about you online”, “your Google ratings brought me here”. There were so many different states coming in to support that I went to a local print shop and printed a poster sized map of the United States and purchased some pink thumbtacks so I could keep up with the out of state visitors. A few weeks later, I decided to Google “Pink Glitter” to see what they were all talking about. At that time I saw that we had over 50,000 people to find us on Google, we were featured in several blogs, and our ratings were really good.

The first challenge that I faced since starting Pink Glitter Thrift Boutique in 2015 was not having the knowledge needed to properly run a nonprofit agency. I stepped out and learned as I went on.  The next major challenge was COVID. I found myself doing hair just to keep the store open. From January 2020 to March 2020, Pink Glitter only made $600, and then the world shut down. The organization was on pause. Once the quarantine was over, I found myself doing hair and there would be days that went by without any customers coming into the store. There were several days when I wanted to quit. During those moments, God would always send someone in to tell me what I needed to hear to give me the stregnth to continue. One day a customer told me that because she came into the boutique and received information to get a free mammogram her cancer was detected early. I try to think of stories like these when I want to give up. One of the main challenges in operating a grass-root (small) minority run non-profit is funding. I was going to close my doors earlier this year, and once again, God showed up and showed out!!!

Now people from all over the world have started coming in. I’ve seen people from Alaska, London, China, Canada, Haiti, and South Africa to name a few. This inspires me to continue and get my name all over the world. I will not allow challenges to discourage me any longer. I will continue to go to my Father for support and guidance.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Pink Glitter Thrift Boutique is not your traditional thrift store. It’s a thrift boutique that sells new and like-new clothing, shoes, and accessories to support women undergoing cancer treatments and promotes Breast Cancer Awareness. We also offer resources on free Mammograms throughout Middle TN and provide pampering events for women undergoing cancer treatments. We partner with organizations in the community to make the events successful.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
Entrepreneurship is all about taking risks. It is a faith walk. Never give up!!!

Pricing:

• $1 Sales Daily
• Women’s Clothing is $4.99 and up
• Kids Clothing $1.99 and up
• Affordable Vintage
• Western
• Trendy Denim Pieces
• Curvy Girls ( Plus Size Clothing)

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkglitterthrift/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinkglitterthrift/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pink-glitter-thrift-boutique-nashville