Good Crowd is in the absolute top of my favorite local businesses. We’ve hosted Momlando events there and it’s a go-to anytime I need a unique gift this is the spot!
What’s in a name? In this case everything! Sarah says she wanted something welcoming and friendly. “Something that would reflect a place where people wanted to come hang out and be together. We all make up the Good Crowd – the makers, the customers, the workshop attendees, the College Park neighborhood, my business neighbors, my team.” So join in and be part of the Good Crowd, I highly recommend!
What made you want to open a store in College Park?
My first job ever was in retail and I worked in retail all through college. It’s always been love of mine, and anytime I traveled, I would find those unique gift shops that had things I hadn’t seen before. Pretty soon I started carrying a notebook and writing down those makers for “someday”. I am a graphic designer and I love good branding and good packaging, so for me, it’s so fun to find products that are beautiful and different (Yes, I’m one of those that chooses wine by its label). I had a LOT of help along the way, particularly from good friends of mine who are also business owners who literally walked me through every step.
Good Crowd has such a great ‘stay here and hang out’ vibe. How do you make that happen?
I knew for sure I had to save room for a community table, for a good crowd to gather. I wanted everyone to feel that they had a place to go if they needed to hold a meeting, study, read a book with their child, attend a workshop, learn something new – whatever! Our table is open to anyone and there is no charge to use it. During the pandemic we have scaled way back with its use. We just had our first post-re-opening workshop with Petals & Stems Market making succulent pumpkin workshops. We added an additional table to ensure that everyone was at a safe distance and we capped the registration so that we could adhere to social distancing practices. We will hold an asymmetrical wreath workshop with Petals & Stems Market on Dec 5 and do the same for that workshop.
How have you pivoted during the pandemic?
When Good Crowd was mandated closed by Orange County in March, it was really scary. The shop hadn’t even been open a year yet and I wasn’t sure what the future held. I hadn’t planned on building an online store that soon, but it was an absolutely necessity to stay afloat.
While I was happy to continue providing personalized shopping experiences via social media and text exchanges, it wasn’t sustainable. Don’t get me wrong, we were overwhelmed by the support of our community. They wanted to make sure we made it through. It was humbling, really. Even before our online store launched, we offered (and still do), free local delivery within a 5-mile radius, free curbside pick-up and shipping nationwide.
We did so many customized gift boxes those first couple of months of COVID – Easter gifts, Mother’s Day Gifts, “Sorry you lost your job” gifts and even “Thank you for working on the frontlines” gifts. Writing those personal notecards on behalf of our customers and shipping those packages off to those lucky recipients was just plain awesome. I loved it. People couldn’t get out to shop, so we were there to help them connect with their loved ones during a really difficult uncertain time.
We had some amazing partnerships during this time as well. Arlene Laboy donated her time to us to photograph our products to help speed up our website launch. Also, Dahlia’s Flower Truck worked with us on collaborations and bouquet pick-ups to cross-promote!
What have been some of your favorite events at the store since you opened?
One of my favorite series was our Healthy Happy Hours that we held once a month. One of my employees at the time, Cera, would lead wellness-focused workshops: Sound healing and CBD 101, Yoga + Vegan bites, Tarot reading + zero proof cocktails. One of my very favorite events was our Floral Crown Workshop for Galentine’s Day, taught by Tracy Post of Petals & Stems Market. Mothers, daughters and friends came to create their very own floral crowns and then we had our photographer, Arlene Laboy, take headshots of these women while they snacked on mimosas and treats.
What are your favorite things you sell in the store?
Our “Everything will be f*cking ok” mug is definitely at the top as well as the “I woke up sexy as hell again” mugs, especially because of the pandemic. With everyone working from home, they are looking for a little humor on their Zoom calls!
I love the jewelry and art made by local Orlando-based makers. I love introducing our customers to the talented creatives we have here. We carry over 40 local makers!
I am also very proud of the “Raise Your Voice” print that one of our very first local makers in the shop, Natalie Henry of Pretty Peacock Paperie, created for us. After George Floyd was killed, I was struggling with how to support the Black Lives Matter movement through the store itself. Natalie was kind enough to donate her talents and create this print for us. 100% of the proceeds go to the National Congress of Black Women.
How do you curate the store? There are so many special one-of-a-kind things there!
My goal is to find gifts that make you feel something. Some items will make you laugh, some will remind you of someone you know and others will be cute things you’ve never seen before. I’m really picky about the product, the maker, and the price point. I want Good Crowd to be a place where you can walk in – find an awesome gift for anyone in your life – and not have it cost an arm and a leg.
How does your family help out in the store?
My son Ellis (12) absolutely loves running the register. He’s also a master gift box maker and price labeler. He does it all! My daughter Mae (8) is really good at sampling ALL of the kid books. She seriously has read every last one. My husband Ben will do whatever we need – whether it’s helping me build a bench, planting new plants outside or putting on the best playlist after hours when we are there late. I couldn’t do it all without their help and I love that my family gets to see me do something I love AND be a part of it.
We love talking about Good Crowd, tell us one last thing before we go!
Our motto is Be Good. Do Good. Feel Good. We will be launching quarterly activities + outings that revolve around our motto — connecting with our community and our customers in fun ways. We had hoped to roll this out this last year, but you know, Covid. First up? One of my hobbies….trapeze!
