Biography: Michelle Tichota started creating jewelry and hair flowers a couple summers ago but it was strictly for her and her closest friends. She would give a flower as a gift or maybe even a necklace. After a while, she was convinced she needed to set up a store online but only had a few items to share with the world. Jennifer Attaway, a good friend of Michelle's, is in the popular New Orleans rockabilly, surf band The Unnaturals. She took a sneak peek at Michelle's wares, loved what she saw and asked for a few custom pieces for shows & photo shoots. In return, Jennifer would make sure that she promoted Michelle and also gave her the opportunity to set up tables at all of their shows across the city. Thanks to Jennifer, Michelle has a great following in the New Orleans area and Jennifer was forced to started making more pieces. Today she now operates Red Hot Kitten's Rockin' Boutique and has three different online stores on Cartfly, Ebay, & Etsy—all offering different merchandise.
What prompted you to get your official site started? I really wanted to make beautiful yet affordable offerings for others who are also into the rockabilly lifestyle. I strive to make people happy. I love getting a thank you email or picture from a customer showing off my goods. I’ve always wanted my own business in which I could show my creativity and passion and now I finally do.
Who is your target customer? My jewelry and hair flowers have a definite niche with the rockabilly/psychobilly, retro horror, and pinup influences but I think that anyone can appreciate and enjoy it. It’s really fun!
What advice can you give people who want to start an online business? Never give up, persistence pays off…learn to be patient…remember that you are only human…be smart when it comes to stocking inventory...oh, and a biggie—don’t take feedback personally because you can’t please everyone!
How many different products do you sell? Throughout my 3 stores…I carry about 130 different types of items.
What are some of your best sellers? I’d say some of my best sellers are my beaded knuckle duster necklaces and my red hair flowers with skulls. I make the knuckle duster necklaces with all different kinds of glass beads or faux pearls…so cute. The skull hair flowers feature a realistic mini skull in the center.
What can you tell me that people might want to know about you? That I’m extremely passionate about what I do…a lot of love goes into each piece that I make. I’m a perfectionist. I can’t send something to a customer that is not my best work.
Why should people do business with Red Hot Kitten? I never take shortcuts! There are no shortcuts to excellence.
How did you find out about Cartfly? I randomly found Cartfly on another Myspace profile. I thought it was a really cool idea and was ready to give it a-go. I’ve only had my store for about a week but I am super excited about it.
Thanks for your help Michelle and good luck stylin' all the Bettie's out there!! If you would like to check out Michelle's network, feel free to visit her official MySpace page and follow her on Twitter.
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