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The Collective

The Official Marketplace for Women, we are a chic retail incubator space designed to help women owned brands sell their products.

$1,227
pledged of$5,000 goal
37
0Days Left

Project Description

The Collective is a chic and vibrant retail incubator  created for women, by women.  The vision of The Collective is to provide a brick and mortar space for women owned brands to sell and display their products without the high overhead cost. In addition to offering space, we also offer consulting, workshops, and other events to help women grow, connect and engage with other women owned brands and professionals. 

What Makes Us Unique

Aside from the fact that every brand and product represented in our space is owned by women, for women, we differentiate ourselves from other brands in that we not only sell and display the women owned brands in our space, but we also help women get placement in other venues via retail, private label and wholesale. Our whole intention is to help women better position their products in the marketplace, and avoid the rut of vendor shows and slow online sales. 

About the Curator of The Collective

 

For the past ten years, I've dedicated myself to empowering women owned brands by providing quality media and communications services. In doing this, I noticed that most of my clients that had product based businesses always had the same complaints. They could not afford a storefront of their own, and more often than not were frustrated with doing vendor shows. Outside of this, they had little to no competence in the area of marketing, which often led them to be stagnant in their businesses. Wanting to help my clients break this cycle of monotony, I decided to start The Collective, believing that it would be a good way for women owned businesses to have their products in a brick and mortar space, without the  high overhead costs, and a great way for them to get one-on-one consulting and attend workshops that would ultimately help them move their brands forward. With a roster of clients in the U.S. and beyond, I am confident of my ability to help these women position their products in the global marketplace. 

Why Support Us

If the "Future Is Female", we want you to be apart of making that future a reality.

We are excited to partner with a platform like iFundWomen, which shares our passion and desire to empower women entrepreneurs. Your support will take the vision for The Collective from concept to reality; and will ultimately help us to create a collaborative environment where women entrepreneurs can connect, thrive and grow. More specifically, we'll use the funds raised for marketing and to secure a space. 

 

What We Offer:

Our business has five core components:

Incubation: We offer small, women-owned brands the opportunity to sell their products in a brick+mortar store. Doing this affords women the opportunity to infiltrate a new market, and showcase their products in a way that engages their target audience and procures feedback to aid in perfecting their brand offerings. In addition to this, we also offer marketing services, small business consulting, and product placement assistance to help brands infiltrate both local and international markets.

Retail:  We are currently on the hunt for a space in a prime-retail district. Once the space is secured, we will offer the option to shop in-store 7-days a week, and online 24/7 at www.themarketplaceforwomen.com.

Our new website is currently under construction, and will go live in the interim until a space is secured. 

Events: A super chic and vibrant space, The Collective will host fun themed pop-up shops, business workshops, networking events, makery + diy classes,  and social events monthly.

Conference Room: Location! Location! Location! The Collective is the perfect space for those looking to host a small workshop, book signing or product launch event. In addition to this, our space is available for photographers looking to rent studio space for a shoot, fitness coaches wanting to host a weekly class or two, and artists wanting to display their latest creations.  

Podcast Lab & Production Studio: Content is queen! And we’re empowering our members to produce more of it with our podcast lab and production studio. In addition to the above, we also offer: Design + Printing: At our core, T. Jones Media, the agency behind The Collective, is all about marketing and brand identity, so in addition to the above offerings, we also offer custom design services for members and the general public.

Custom Lab + Events: Together with our brand partners, also women owned brands, we provide custom decor, flowers, balloons, catering and more for small business and social events.

 

The Space:

We are currently working to secure the perfect space, where women business owners can sell their products, as well as engage, explore, connect and thrive. In terms of aesthetic, the space will include:

- A chic and energetic retail environment designed to inspire, empower and engage customers.

- Sophisticated and comfy furniture for both work + play.

- A conference room for private events; and open seating area for semi-private affairs.

- A fully equipped production studio for content creation and photo shoots.

 

Amenities:

Members of The Collective will receive the following amenities:

  • Opportunity to be Showcased as Featured Product of the Month
  • Inclusion in Marketing Collateral (In-Store & Out-Mailers, Billboards, Signage, Social Media ads, Google ads, etc.)
  • One-on-One Business Consulting
  • Free or Discounted Access to Workshops and Events
  • Shipping Station
  • Product Placement & Distribution (Local & Global)

 

Products:

The Collective is open to products made by women, for women in the following categories:

  • Beauty & Skincare
  • Gifts
  • Jewelry
  • Apparel
  • Home Accessories
  • Fashion Accessories
  • Artwork
  • Gourmet Items + More

Updates

The Campaign FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is The Collective? The Collective is a chic and vibrant retail incubator created for women with product-based businesses; and as a one-stop shop for women looking to purchase unique gifts, beauty products, home goods, accessories + more. 

What inspired you to launch The Collective? Only 1% of all U.S. businesses export goods; and according to a report released by The United State of Women, "Approximately 30 percent of businesses are women-owned, but only 12 percent of businesses that export are owned by women." What does this have to do with anything? Everything. It means there are untapped opportunities for women with product-based businesses. After working with women owned businesses for nearly a decade, I've witnessed firsthand women's loss of opportunity to grow and expand because they lacked resources and information. I was inspired to launch The Collective because I wanted to create a space where women with amazing products could garner traffic and take advantage of the benefits of having a brick and mortar space,  receive expert consulting, and participate in events that would help them maximize their efforts and grow their brands in both the local and the global marketplace. The world is big...our visions are bigger...let's seize it... Together!

Where is The Collective located? We are currently looking for a retail space in the Chicago area. In the interim, we are hosting Pop-Up Markets (that work similar to the store, in that we manage everything, all the vendor has to do is label their products and drop them off, we literally take care of everything else) and have plans to launch the online marketplace soon. 

Can women outside of Chicago showcase their products in the store? Yes, we welcome women within the United States and beyond (internationally) to showcase their products in The Collective. We currently have vendors from as far as Vietnam! 

When will The Collective open? Due to cover, The Collective will tentatively open Spring 2021. 

What kind of vendors are you looking for? We prefer products that are handmade, designed or manufactured for women, by women. Though we support all women in business, we do not accept MLM products (i.e. Mary Kay, Avon, Paparazzi Jewelry, Scentsy, etc.). 

Are there age requirements? While our memberships are available to women who are 18+, we will host events that are open to both men and women, and for various age groups. Members will be notified of any restrictions.  

What are the hours of operations? The Collective will be open Mon-Fri 9AM-7PM, Sat 10AM-8PM and Sunday 12PM-6PM. Times are subject to change. Members will be notified of any changes. We will also have a website where customers can shop online 24/7, 365. 

Can I receive mail and packages at The Collective? Yes, All-in Members can utilize The Collective as their professional address. We also offer a shipping station for FED EX & UPS services, with pre-paid labels.  

Are non-members able to rent space at The Collective? Yes, non-members can rent our conference room, podcast lab/production studio or after-hours rent the entire space for a set fee. There are some restrictions on the type of events that can be hosted in the space. Please inquire for details. 

 

 

 

 

Ursula Harris
07/01/2019
Social Media Shout Out
$15
07/01/2019
Founder's Gift Box
$25
Felisia Gladney
07/01/2019
Social Media Shout Out
$10
BrickRose Exchange
06/24/2019
Social Media Shout Out
$10
06/19/2019
Founder's Gift Box
$25
RAVEN BEDENFIELD
06/18/2019
Friend of The Collective
$100
Alicia Mallett
06/14/2019
Founder's Gift Box
$25
Sophia Ruffin
06/13/2019
Founder's Gift Box
$50
Dr George Guilford
06/11/2019
Friend of The Collective
$100
Stephanie Daniels Henry
06/11/2019
Social Media Shout Out
$20
Monetary Contribution

I want to support the vision of The Collective...no reward needed! Contribute any amount you wish.

2 Supporters
Select this reward
10.00 USD
Social Media Shout Out

We'll shout you out on our website and social media pages, thanking you for your support.  

11 Supporters
Select this reward
100.00 USD
Friend of The Collective

All of the above + discounted and free access to live and online webinars and events for one year. 

4 Supporters
Select this reward
1,000.00 USD
Business Sponsorship

All of the above + Logo inclusion in marketing materials and grand opening press release, Brand mention on social media platforms and at grand opening event, brand materials in welcome area and name on event signage, exclusive invitation to soft-opening for you and one guest + host one 3-hour event in our space. 

2 Left
0 Supporters
Select this reward

About the Entrepreneur

Highland, IN
Created 1 Campaign
Business Services

Rewards

Monetary Contribution

I want to support the vision of The Collective...no reward needed! Contribute any amount you wish.

2 Supporters
Select this reward
10.00 USD
Social Media Shout Out

We'll shout you out on our website and social media pages, thanking you for your support.  

11 Supporters
Select this reward
100.00 USD
Friend of The Collective

All of the above + discounted and free access to live and online webinars and events for one year. 

4 Supporters
Select this reward
1,000.00 USD
Business Sponsorship

All of the above + Logo inclusion in marketing materials and grand opening press release, Brand mention on social media platforms and at grand opening event, brand materials in welcome area and name on event signage, exclusive invitation to soft-opening for you and one guest + host one 3-hour event in our space. 

2 Left
0 Supporters
Select this reward