Chelsea Munizzi is the owner of Shellsea, a popular clothing store located in Central Florida. What first began as an online shop flourished into a physical brick and mortar store in charming downtown Deland, Florida. I had the opportunity to ask Chelsea some questions about how her journey began as a clothing store owner and what her life looks like while running the cutest shop ever! Here’s how it went:
Her Campus (HC): What led you to start your shop and what were your first steps when creating Shellsea?
Chelsea Munizzi (CM): My family knew I’d be in the fashion industry since the time my grandfather took me and my cousin alligator hunting when I was five or six and I said to him, “I’d rather be at the mall shopping.” It was pretty hilarious! I worked a few smaller retail jobs and worked my way up as far as I could. It wasn’t until I made the decision to leave retail and got a marketing job that really brought out what I was certain I was passionate about. I couldn’t stop thinking about the latest trends, what celebrities were wearing, what the latest influencers were posting about and my friends were begging me to do something about it. I knew I wanted to be back in that industry, but I just didn’t know how to. I started by making the Instagram account for Shellsea, gaining a following and building the brand before trying to sell anything. That was key!
HC: Was it hard to transition from a solely online store to a physical location?
CM: Yes! I actually had NO intentions of opening a physical location for the longest time. There are a lot of moving parts involved, and I knew it wasn’t something I can just turn on and off. Once you’ve opened your doors there is really no turning back!
HC: What does a typical day in your life look like while running Shellsea?
CM: A typical day starts with picking up my Starbucks order and then going straight to my office. I’ll normally sit and check my emails first to make sure there aren’t any urgent customer emails. Once those are taken care of, I’ll help package and pull online orders from the night before. Then I’ll get back on my computer and get back to emails, checking our shipment schedule and checking in on social media. I like to spend time in the store as well so I’m getting a good pulse on how the store is operating, getting any feedback from our stylists and chatting with our shoppers! I love it when I get the chance to hear and see what people are loving and if anything is just not working. It’s a huge priority of mine to always have that at the top of my mind. Then I’ll head home and continue working on marketing content, answering emails and ordering new inventory. It’s kind of a never-ending cycle but I LOVE it!
HC: Can you explain the process of picking clothing items and accessories for your shop?
CM: I’m really blessed with an amazing team around me who play a huge role in this process. I have many conversations throughout the week with my team as well as buying meetings to discuss our plans and the upcoming trends to make sure we stay on top of it all. What’s worked best for us is always analyzing trends and looking and listening to what our customers are wearing and wanting more of. Just because we think something is super cute doesn’t mean it’s practical and will work for our shoppers.
HC: The Shellsea social media is everything! Do you have a team to help you with social media? And what are some things you did that helped gain so much attention towards your socials?
CM: Thank you so much! Yes, I have a small, but talented, team who creates the content and then it gets posted across all platforms. Our biggest thing is consistency! We’ve never skipped a day connecting with our customers through social media. It’s one of the biggest tools we have and has been a game-changer for us. This summer during the lockdown we gained over 20,000 Instagram followers in three months and our business has not been the same since. I really try to think about the posts that I enjoy looking at on my feed and make sure we replicate that on our own feed. If I don’t like what we’re posting, I don’t expect our customers to either!
HC: What is the biggest struggle that you’ve faced since starting Shellsea?
CM: I think the biggest struggle would probably be comparison. Especially when we first began our journey and things didn’t progress as fast as I wanted it to. But, at the end of the day, I was always reminded that with any business you start, no one can replicate that same passion and drive that you have within yourself. No one can match the exact culture and brand you create for yourself. Just because someone else is doing better than you doesn’t mean they didn’t face hard times as well. I think the best reminder is knowing that no one else is you and that is your power.
HC: Who is someone that you look up to for fashion inspiration?
CM: Ooh, this is always a tough question. I think first I’d have to say my mother and my nana (she doesn’t like to go by grandmother, that makes her feel old, ha!). They’ve always been my biggest supporters and where I get my love for fashion from – hands down. Then, I’d have to say Hailey Bieber and her stylist Maeve Reilly. I’ve also really loved Danielle Bernstein from We Wore What and Negin Mirsalehi.
HC: What is your favorite fashion trend at the moment?
CM: Well, I think we can all agree we just hit our FAVORITE fashion season of the year. One thing I’m really looking forward to (when this Florida weather decides to cooperate) is the oversized layering trend that’s been happening. Whether it’s an oversized blazer, coat, flannel or denim jacket I think it’s a look that any woman of any size can accomplish, and it looks so cute with shorts or a straight-leg denim.
HC: Can you tell us one thing that you’re looking forward to when it comes to your shop?
CM: I think the only way to answer is to say the future! We’ve experienced a lot of growth in our second year as a brick and mortar and third year as an online store. We have really exciting plans for growth as a company as we head into 2021, which includes a lot of fun things in the works for the holidays that I know our shoppers will absolutely love. Our Shellsea family continues to grow each day and I believe the best is still yet to come!
Huge thank you to Chelsea for taking the time to answer some questions with Her Campus! I am so glad that we got to learn more about her and her shop. She is truly an inspiration to those searching for a career in fashion. If you want to learn more about Chelsea and her clothing store, Shellsea, follow her social media accounts below:
Chelsea’s Instagram: @chelseamunizzi
Shellsea on Instagram: @shopshellsea
Shellsea on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopshellsea
Shop the Shellsea website: https://shopshellsea.com
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