Meet Landria Johnson of The Sassy Olive

Today we’d like to introduce you to Landria Johnson

Hi Landria, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In the summers between studies at the University of Michigan, Landria was waitressing at a local restaurant in her hometown and became frustrated by the quality of headbands she was wearing that would not stay in place on her head. Her grandmother, a gifted sewer, was recovering from surgery and Landria was privileged to help care for her. While doing so, she sewed her own headbands with her grandmother’s guidance and $42 worth of fabric. Her coworkers liked what she had made, and she soon began taking orders for more. This started what she then considered to be a small hobby business on the ping pong table in her parent’s basement. She called it The Sassy Olive, named after the family dog and her brassy personality. Over the next few years The Sassy Olive, now graduated to a set up in her tiny Ann Arbor apartment and being sold online through an Etsy store and at area craft shows, helped pay her way through graduate school. The day after graduating from U of M in April 2017 with her Master’s of Public Health in Hospital and Molecular Epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, she did something that would have been unthinkable when she sewed her first headband just two years before – she moved back to her hometown of Allegan and got the keys to a 200 square foot storefront on the main street of Downtown Allegan.

Six months later, she was expanding storage and production into the second floor apartment above the store and working with local city planners to develop a new light-manufacturing ordinance to allow for the work that was being done by her small but mighty team. By June 2018, she signed a purchase agreement for a 12,000 square foot historic building that had previously operated as a family-owned dime store for over 50 years.

The Sassy Olive has evolved since the days of the ping pong table in Landria’s parents basement and now features over 12 different styles of headbands that remain the focal point of the business. With an expanded storefront, the Sassy Olive also services the Allegan community by providing a variety of trendy clothing options, quality home decor, and kitschy gifts from other wholesale businesses, many of them small business creators themselves. In 2020, Landria expanded by purchasing a dye sublimation fabric printer and now, all of The Sassy Olive’s products are designed, printed, and manufactured under one roof. Today, Landria manages a team of 15 employees made up of managers, store associates, content creators, and production associates – all of whom are women ranging between the ages of 16 and 66.

Through The Sassy Olive, Landria has built multiple mentorship programs to help develop other creative minds within her community. This includes a freelance design program where she collaborates with other artists and designers and an internship program with the local Technical Education Center to offer paid internships to area graphic design students to get on-the-job experience at a unique workplace. Landria also makes giving back a core part of her business and has held public fundraisers through The Sassy Olive to raise money for various causes that are important to her, such as Domestic Abuse Awareness, women’s rights, and rescue animal advocacy, to name a few.

It is her goal to own and operate more than one storefront in Downtown Allegan. Landria is currently in the process of purchasing her third commercial property in Downtown Allegan with the intent of opening an additional retail space, called Lunabode, where she will offer different products and services to fill a market need in her community. Landria takes pride in both her business and her community and regularly works on recruiting new businesses to the Allegan area while also leading the current Downtown business owners through planning local shopping events that benefit the entirety of Downtown Allegan.

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?
Landria is an outspoken advocate for body positivity and often uses her platform to teach self love and empower women. Admittedly, she struggled with obsessive tendencies through school, specifically when it came to food and her body. Acknowledging these important topics openly has shifted the workplace dynamic at The Sassy Olive by showing women, both younger and older than her, that however challenging it may be to love yourself, it is always more freeing to do so. Landria also considers this attitude of self-love to be reflected in The Sassy Olive social media pages. Across multiple platforms, negative comments are scarce, and important human rights issues are interwoven with the business, all within a safe space nurtured to allow women and other people to be their sassy selves.

Landria is open and honest about what makes her, her today. She has shared her story of surviving a six year abusive relationship and does so in hopes that it could help someone else escape a situation similar to hers. She openly talks about her personal experiences with therapy regarding both her past domestic abuse and her diagnosis of Binge Eating Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and ADHD –all in her mid-twenties. She credits being able to lead a healthy, balanced lifestyle today to what she has learned and applied throughout her struggles with mental health.

One of the biggest challenges Landria has faced is learning how to “ruffle feathers in the right way” in order to incite positive change in Allegan. She was told, when she was first considering opening a storefront in Allegan, that it was idiotic and the community would not support her. Nevertheless, she persisted and was even the first business in Downtown Allegan to proudly fly a Pride flag during the month of June. In August of 2022 Landria was part of the group that hosted Allegan’s first ever Pride event where over 1000 people attended in support. This group, known as Allegan Speak Up, was co-founded by Landria and has raised awareness and hosted public events for important topics such as women’s reproductive rights, minority representation, the LGBTQ+ community, and voter education and equality. Another notable event that Allegan Speak Up, mainly driven by Landria, hosted was a Black Lives Matter rally in 2020. The rally brought together city and county police, city council, and citizens to unite in equality. In addition to the rally, Landria and Allegan Speak Up organized a petition to ban the sale of racist paraphernalia at the Allegan County Fair. Landria has volunteered on multiple city boards, regularly plans community events, and became a Jaycee in 2023 after previously working alongside the group for Allegan’s Pride event. She also took on the task of informing voters on a local vote to reallocate parkland, by creating a display in her store showing what the proposed park would look like, and how it would be more accessible to those with physical limitations. She developed a passion for Allegan and set a goal to change the culture and lead by positive example. In doing so, she has given others the courage to speak up and this can be seen during the month of June, specifically, when Downtown Allegan is lined with rainbow flags.

Landria set some big goals for The Sassy Olive as her business started to rapidly grow, and today her goals are bigger than ever. Her business brings in over $600,000 annually and through The Sassy Olive, she has created jobs in her community and plans to grow her team in the future. One of her initial goals was to be able to donate to causes that are important to her and today she regularly donates to and sponsors local groups, events, causes, and individuals. One of Landria’s charitable highlights include raising $34,000 during COVID for her face mask donation initiative which allowed The Sassy Olive to hire and employ people safely through the pandemic. With this money and additional employees, The Sassy Olive was able to donate over 40,000 masks to first responders, necessary workers, and the general public.

Some of her proudest achievements with The Sassy Olive include shipping her headbands to all fifty states, and, most of all, creating a unique workplace where her team feels supported and enjoys coming to work. Her mission for both herself and The Sassy Olive is to promote diversity and inclusivity while focusing on imagination, creativity, and originality to showcase that all are welcome and celebrated.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Landria, a University of Michigan graduate, founded The Sassy Olive after addressing a personal frustration with headbands. Starting as a small hobby business while working on her Master’s of Public Health in Hospital and Molecular Epidemiology, it has grown into a thriving enterprise in Downtown Allegan. Today, The Sassy Olive offers a diverse range of headbands, trendy clothing, home decor, and gifts. Landria manages a team of 9 women, ages 16 to 66, and actively supports her community.

Beyond business, Landria advocates for body positivity, using her platform to empower women and openly discussing mental health challenges. She shares her personal journey, surviving abuse, and coping with disorders, aiming to inspire others. Landria leads Allegan Speak Up, addressing crucial issues like LGBTQ+ rights, women’s reproductive rights, and racial equality.

Despite initial skepticism, Landria’s business has brought new life to Downtown Allegan and she actively supports local causes. Notable achievements include a $34,000 face mask donation initiative during COVID, providing employment and contributing over 40,000 masks to the community. Landria’s vision extends beyond The Sassy Olive, with plans for Lunabode, her third commercial property in Downtown Allegan, aiming to fill market needs and foster positive change. Her overarching mission is to promote diversity, inclusivity, and creativity, creating a welcoming space for all at The Sassy Olive.

What does success mean to you?
Success is subjective. To me, it is waking up every day looking forward to doing something creative alongside a team of wonderful people who only exist at the same place & time because of me. I genuinely love what I do, even on the hard days, and have paved a way in my community for positive change.

Contact Info:

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