Clozetessentials began as an online women's clothing boutique in August 2020, during the pandemic. I used a spare bedroom in my home as the office, packaging and shipping location, and warehouse! My friends modeled for me and I would reach out to other models on social media to promote the business. It was a struggle to get a lot of traction online with the plethora of online businesses that exist. After about 6 months, I started researching mall locations with the hope of starting in a kiosk. There were so many available spaces due to the pandemic I was able to find a small space with reasonable rent and I took a chance on myself. We launched our retail storefront in February of 2021 when many places were still shut down. At that point, we started doing business as Lifestyle by ClozetEssentials because I couldn’t afford a new sign and that was the name of the previous business so I just made it work! The mall was one of the few places where people could go out in public, indoors and we had a great first year! I was able to hire more staff, a professional photographer, more inventory, and even expand to include plus sizes. We maintain our presence online and have shipped orders throughout the country. In our first year, we grossed more than 150k dollars in sales. This year things have slowed down tremendously. Gas prices and inflation have taken a toll and the mall has been very quiet all summer. I believe in this brand and I don't want to see this store fold as I've seen many others open and close in this mall. This loan would help us have a great holiday season and beyond.. we just need your help to get us there!