LaTishia Bradley said she didn’t even like Crocs until she reluctantly tried on a pair her mother bought her. Now she has a business designing custom Crocs that will host its grand opening on Saturday.
Located at 854 Selby Ave., TB’z Customz Boutique will sell customized shoes, accessories and casual loungewear clothing, said owner Bradley, all in an effort to give back to the community and educate the next generation of entrepreneurs.
TB’z Customz Boutique got its start at the end of 2021, Bradley said, when she customized her first pair of Crocs and put them on Facebook. “I thought people were going to laugh,” she said. “Then I got an order in 15 minutes.”
Bradley said she never sought out to be in the retail business and was in training to become a nail technician when her doctor advised her to take a new route due to health concerns surrounding the chemicals nail techs use.
With the Crocs gifted by her mother, Bradley said she went to her nail room and used her nail tools to customize the first pair, which would go on to sell for $165.
The orders haven’t stopped since that day, Bradley said. She has completed 70 customizations so far and is currently booked out through the month of May.
Shoppers who want customized Crocs can buy them directly from Bradley and choose the level of customization they are looking for including color, charms, partial-bling or full-bling. Completed products range in price from $100 to $200.
An electric drill, cuticle cutter, nail art tattoos and rhinestones are all used to decorate the shoes, which can take up to five hours per pair, she said.
‘Daughter of Rondo’
After working out of her home for roughly a year and half, Bradley said she was able to secure the storefront in the Selby Milton Victoria building with the help of the Rondo Community Land Trust, which works to build wealth within the Rondo neighborhood by developing affordable housing and commercial spaces.
“I am so proud of LaTishia and I’m so proud that we were able to support her and her business,” said Mikeya Griffin, the Land Trust’s executive director.
Average rent for retail spaces runs about $25 per square foot, Griffin said, but the Land Trust, which owns the Selby Milton Victoria building, charges $7 per square foot to offer business owners in the neighborhood long-term affordability.
“Not only is LaTishia a business owner, but she is a daughter of Rondo,” Griffin said, “Her family has been in the community since Interstate 94 came through.”
Born and raised in the Rondo neighborhood, Bradley said she wanted to launch her brick-and-mortar business there to provide jobs and eventually share her entrepreneurial skills with the community’s youth.
Once the storefront is established, Bradley said she hopes to partner with local high schools where she can teach students how to customize products and show them what it takes to start and operate their own businesses. Other first-year goals are to partner with nurses at local hospitals and get her website up and running.
This spring Bradley is planning to hire additional staff and wants to continue growing her business at every opportunity.
“I had no clue it would take off and do what it’s doing,” she said, “I want to scale my business as quickly as possible.”
TB’z Customz Boutique grand opening
- Festivities run from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at 854 Selby Ave.
- Three small businesses will have food for purchase including elotes, cake jars and loaded baked potatoes.
- Info: pipr.es/caMLJoV
