Meet Abigail Blum | Local Artisan & Small Business Consultant

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

Hi Abigail, how do you think about risk?
The first thing that comes to mind is ‘No risk, no reward’ and I believe that to be 110% accurate. Choosing to follow your passion, depending on what it may be, can be terrifying. For me, not furthering my college degree nor pursing what I consider to be a ‘typical 9-5’ were the scariest choices I’ve ever made. Not because I saw those as the only correct options, but because growing up, that’s what I’ve always been pushed towards. The majority of my family never saw artistic interests as a career, it was always more of a hobby or something you did to “de-stress”. For me, it was the only career I’ve ever wanted and by taking the risk of potentially failing, disappointing loved ones, or having to start from scratch, I ended up receiving the reward of success because of my dedication and drive to not allowing the former to happen.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always worked for small businesses, other than a brief period where desperate times called for desperate measures and I worked for an awful corporation with that lovely red bullseye logo. The former introduced me to my love for community and people and how I wanted to find a way to teach everyone the importance of shopping small and local.

Currently, my main job is a Retail Manager at a local boutique called Willow Jane. I’ve been working with the owner for almost 7 years now! I started as a key holder, began running social media and the website, and later was promoted to manager. Being asked if it was easy is a difficult question… I think everything comes smoothly when you’re a hard worker, believe in yourself, and have a boss/ team that shares that same belief. It’s not hard when you have people rooting for you!

Of course there are challenges, and honestly, I’ve always invited them as there would be no growth if they didn’t occur. The obstacles I’ve faced got me to who and where I am today, so I should be grateful for them.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to surround yourself with positive people who believe in you and what you want out of life. It takes one person’s doubt to form a huge crack in your foundation, but takes an army of supporters to maintain that foundation. The more supporters you have, the stronger your belief in yourself and what you want is. If you aren’t engulfed in like-minded people, I think the percentage of failing becomes much greater.

I would love for people to know that I spent a lot of my time surrounded by people, family included, that doubted my ability to be successful in what I wanted to do and that it was the largest obstacle I’ve ever faced. I was pushed hard towards a secure, stable lifestyle…you know the ‘white picket fence’ type life…and I have just never been that person. Ending my college career, working in retail, chasing my artistic passions… I was basically a lost cause to some family members. I chose to ignore it, I surrounded myself with people who believed in me as I believed in them, we cheered each other on, we fought for ourselves, we hustled to make ends meet, and eventually, we thrived. I say this because I know there are so many people out there, from ages 15 to 70, who crave change or want something wild out of this life, but they suppress the desire because it’s non-traditional, scary, and those around them doubt their ability. But it’s never too early and it’s never too late to change whom you surround yourself with. If it isn’t lifting you up, it’s not worth holding on to.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
ALL of the local hangs! When you visit a new place, who wants to go somewhere boring that every area has?? It’s all about the local spots. The friend would absolutely be Lauren James, and we would shop the fun boutiques in Alpharetta, from City Center to Halcyon! We would sign up for a workshop at Pine + Pigment in the Collections…maybe a charcuterie class or even cookie decorating! We would need some outside time, so definitely a walk or bike ride on the Green Way. There’s a sweet, local couple that opened Geaux Bikes and you can rent a bike to ride! We’d go see a live, local band at one of the many restaurants around town – right now, my favorite is going to the rooftop at Cinco in Vickery Village and enjoying the music! We’d have to take a little trip up Ga400 and visit Doug at his coffee shop, Because Coffee and then go see Robin and Renee at Blue Barn Boutique!

I could entertain her for far more than one week with all of the fun things to do and people to meet here. This community I’ve found myself in is packed with great people and great places!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There really is no one person to thank for molding me into who I am or what I do. I’ve always been heavily influenced by people whom I witness living out their passions or those that have talked to me about the importance of doing so. I’ve been lucky to grow with quite a bit of those people around me. I initially listed them all out and this answer quickly became unnecessarily long, but I believe those people to know who they are. From teachers, to bosses, to friends, to like-minded artisans, to small business owners, to my love, and to my family. It’s important we encompass ourselves with people we strive to be like or people we look up to, not to be a cookie-cutter version of them, but to have those examples of what life can be like when we pursue happiness.

Website: shopabijax.com

Instagram: @shopabijax

Facebook: Abigailblum