Meet Krystal Toland | Creative Director & Healthcare Administrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Krystal Toland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Krystal, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
I have two. The first one is Philippians 1:6 “He who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” The second one is “Broken crayons still color.” In life we are often our greatest critiques. But what I’ve learned is that when I zoom out from the parts that overwhelm me, it’s easier to give myself grace. Sometimes, we become frustrated when people, places or things thing don’t play out the way we envisioned it, and that’s ok! It may not have happened as quickly as we would have liked or looked as pretty as we wanted. But if we continue to put one foot in front of the other, there is purpose and value in the moment because a lesson was learned.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

I am often described as a unicorn. Yes, I know it sounds strange but hear me out. Exclusively Yours Craft Boutique & Uniform Exchange was birth out of a hobby. Shortly after graduating from college, I started working at a psychiatric residential treatment facility. Crafting became my coping skill, my outlet to decompress and destress from a job that was physically and emotionally draining.

Getting to where we are today was not easy! There were a lot of sleepless nights, utilizing personal funds to finance business dreams and goals and often wondering if I was spending too much time focusing on pursuing my dream and not enough time with my daughter. I’m thankful for my mom who ensures that she doesn’t miss a beat if I’m working!

The biggest lesson I learned is understanding my value. For years, I thought I was not good enough to compete with other companies doing the same thing. It felt like every time I scrolled on social media or drove down the street there was another business doing the same thing I was. But one day, while standing in the middle of the bread aisle at Walmart, it hit me. There will always be another business, producing a very similar product, but just like those two loaves of bread sitting side-by-side we have a different taste and speak to different markets and customers. I realized that I was my biggest challenge. I had created a limit to how far I would go, or how much success my business would have, ultimately I had boxed myself in. For years, I thought that success was linked to a person’s upbringing, financial status, or having a large enough team to execute everything at once. But now I know, it’s none of that. I’ve learned that success is about launching, analyzing, optimizing, rinsing, and repeating.

There are two divisions within Exclusively Yours family, the Craft Boutique and the Uniform Exchange. A person can create an order containing elements from one service line or both. Within the Craft Boutique, we specialize in creating custom items. We offer business to business services such as vinyl sheets, embroidery, sublimation blanks or direct-to-film items. Additionally, we offer predesigned items, or you can create custom such as a T-shirt for your child’s sports team, water bottles, tumblers, sorority or fraternity crossing gifts or even a mug with your favorite saying on it. If you can think it, dream it, or desire it, we will bring it to life. At the Uniform Exchange, we are on a mission to provide what you need to look professional, feel confident and comfortable from head to toe. We offer a variety of items for sports teams, healthcare workers, law enforcement, transportation companies, etc.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My girls and I take annual trips so this could actually happen, lol. Night one of our trip is always dedicated to reconnecting. We would connect with a local caterer to create an intimate dinning and hands-on experience. On other days we would embrace the culture of ATL. We would check out a couple historical sites, find a few live music spots such as St. James Live, City Winery or a live theater or dance production. Another evening we may catch one of my favorite DJs, DJ Renzo as he spins throughout the city. One of the things I love most about this group of ladies is that we simply enjoy each other’s company. In the words of Neyo, “we are a movement by ourselves but a force when we are together.” It does not take a laundry list of events and/or plans for us to have a good time. We simply enjoy the presence of one another.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My support system, my parents, siblings, the FAB, COO and my sister circle. These individuals have dried tears, sent random texts of encouragement, showed up without being asked because I simply “didn’t sound right.” They’ve cared for my daughter while I worked, studied, or learned a new skill. These individuals opened my eyes to new experiences, reminded me of my why and pushed me when I felt like throwing in the towel. Their unwavering love and support continue to challenge me to think outside of the box, motivate me and remind me that I can do all things to Christ!

Website: www.exclusivelyyourscb.com and www.eyuniformexchange.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exclusivelyyours_cb/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exclusiveyourscb

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@exclusively_yours_cb