Rising Stars: Meet Ariel Parker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Parker.

Hi Ariel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Honestly, I just started with a vision and determination that my dream since I was little was ready to come to fruition. I always knew I wanted to have my own business, and the idea of having my own storefront has always been on my list of things I wanted to accomplish in life. I just never knew how or what it would be, that was until around February of this year. I am a boy mom of two little adventurous boys that are 14 months apart, Owen and Hayden, who the boutique is actually named after. I have always been stopped out in public and asked where I shopped for their clothes because as fellow boy moms know, it’s a challenge to find  quality, cute, but also affordable clothes.

Sometime in February, I remember walking into Target and being frustrated that they had taken the already small selection of clothes for boys and made it even smaller. That’s when I told my husband I knew exactly what my business was going to be, a boy’s boutique. I truthfully had no plan (or money set aside), I just knew that’s what I was going to make happen. So, I started doing my own research and started reaching out to other well-established women-owned small businesses to talk with them, and to gain advice and insight, one being my cousin who has a very successful women’s boutique in South Haven, Mississippi (Janie Rose). From there, I ran with it! I started mapping out my plan, reaching out to brands, designing my website (and learning to code some, or calling my little brother to help me), and figuring out all of the logistics of how I was going to make this work.

O Hayden Boutique officially launched online on June 1st and it’s been such a fun journey. Currently, it’s online only and with God’s timing, hopefully, will expand to a brick-and-mortar soon. I do pop-ups around the Clarksville and Nashville areas as well and am now currently working on the second piece of my vision, to design and launch the O Hayden brand with a mommy and son line. So, follow along with us and stay tuned for that piece to begin to unfold!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I learned A LOT and am still learning, but it’s definitely been up and down. I got told no a lot by brands in the beginning because I don’t have a brick-and-mortar or had just started, so that was probably the biggest challenge that I honestly didn’t anticipate.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
So my background is actually in education. I taught middle school, 7th, and 8th-grade language arts, for 5 years. I still currently work with our school system as a technology integration coach, working alongside various stakeholders in our district (primarily teachers) to coach and support them with the use of instructional technology in their classrooms.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My advice would be to make your plan and take action to see it come to life. Don’t doubt your ability to try something new, if it’s a dream you’ve had, it’s worth chasing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ohayden.shop/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ohayden.shop?igshid=NDRkN2NkYzU=
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ohayden.shop/

Image Credits
@lindsayphoto.co https://lindsayphoto.co/