Meet Nicole Cripe of Nicole Cripe Style

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Cripe of Nicole Cripe Style. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I guess I’ll start my story when I started my first career as a hairdresser 24 years ago… Clothes, fashion, and beauty have always been a huge love of mine. Eight years ago, I added personal styling to my business platform. I had always shopped for friends/family or help them put together looks but at that point, it turned into a part of my career. I took classes in LA and New York and grew my styling business via word of mouth and social media. I loved that I could help a client literally from head to toe to make them feel their best… and then Covid hit and I found myself without any jobs. The salon closed and my style clients were no longer needing me to help them with special occasion outfits, packing for travel, or wardrobe updates. What they were doing was cleaning out their closets. I had sold some designer items on my social media platforms for clients in the past, but during Covid, it became something they asked me to do more frequently… then all the sudden it turned into something much bigger. My love for consignment came a bit naturally as my mom owns a fantastic consignment store here in Elkhart, IN called B Boutique Consignment. Now high-end luxury consignment and designer resale is the main focus of my career, although I am still styling clients and do hair which I love. At this point, I do all of my selling through social media and send items all over the country. Sometimes life throws us curveballs and we have to pivot… this was one of those times for me, and I’m very proud of the success that it has become. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My largest obstacle now is running this business by myself. I am the marketing department, sales department, photographer, IT, shipping/receiving, finance, etc… Trust me, I’m not complaining because I’m afraid I’m too type A to have anyone help me at this point. I know there will be a time, but It’s hard for me to give up control. 

Thank you for sharing that. Can you share something about you that might surprise us and your supporters?
I think the thing that surprises most people is that I don’t want to keep everything for myself. The truth is, I do love so much of what I sell. However, I set a personal rule early on that I would give all items 30 days. If something didn’t sell, and I wanted that item, then I may consider buying it for myself at that point, but not before. My clients would need to come first… Honestly, I’m a little shocked myself that I’ve been able to hold out that long sometimes. 

Contact Info:

• Email: nicolecripestyle@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolecripestyle/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolecripestyle

Image Credits
Meagan Gilbert Photography