Meet Shar Michele | Entrepreneur & Philanthropist

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

Hi Shar, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m from the west side of Detroit, Michigan. I knew at a young age that I wanted to be an Entrepreneur. When I was 7 years old, I would make Kool-Aid (which was not very good), pour it in Dixie cups, freeze them, and then sell them to the neighborhood kids during the summer. At school, I’d buy candy for a quarter and sell it for an extra 5 cents. I have tons of stories like these. So, my journey to entrepreneurship started very young, even though I didn’t know what it was called at the time.

My household consisted of my father who was a minister, my mother, and my older sister. My parents instilled in me the power of prayer, faith, and belief in GOD. My dad was kind, considerate, and compassionate. My sister was always helping someone in need, and no matter what was going on in her life, she leaned on GOD.

While I do hold a Bachelor’s in Applied Science and a Master’s degree in Science. I’ve always been driven in the direction of entrepreneurship.

Over the years I’ve tried many businesses but none of them stuck. From jewelry making, to web development services, I’ve tried to build my own business. But when I embarked on the journey for Dorothy’s Pearl, I did something that I didn’t do with all the other flopped business ventures.

I leaned on what had been instilled in me my whole life, I trusted GOD to guide me. While it’s been a whirlwind of challenges, pivoting, and moments where I wanted to give up. I had to lean strongly on my faith and trust GOD as the CEO to lead me in what direction to go as the Founder of my brand. I also have a strong desire to help others and show compassion to those in need. This is why a portion of proceeds go to a cause greater than myself throughout the year.

My father passed away when I was 16 and my sister and only sibling passed away a few months ago. But I’m so blessed to have, had them with me for the time that I did. And I’m striving every day to make them proud and continue to lean on GOD, just as they instilled in me.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Dorothy’s Pearl is a Style Brand that empowers women and teen girls to feel confident in their uniqueness and to embrace their individuality through their style. The definition of a pearl is anyone or thing of great rarity and worth. This is why we have affectionally labeled the women and teens in our community Pearls. And just like a Pearl in its rarity so are our products. We only do production in small quantities. Our eyewear is never reproduced so once it’s sold out there will not be any more made. With our handbags, some bags are not reproduced at all and are limited edition. Other designs may come in different colors but once a color is sold out that color will not be reproduced.

Our overall mission is to utilize our brand and platform to raise awareness of the disparity in the African American community for bone marrow donors.
This is why we donate a portion of our sales from our Kimmie Pearl Collection (in honor of my sister) to NMDP to help those battling blood cancers/blood disorders.
While I’m the face of our brand we are a family-owned and operated business. My 15-year-old daughter is the artist who designs our products. My son will soon be more hands-on, in the involvement of our philanthropic efforts, and my husband wears many hats and helps in various areas of the business.

Dorothy’s Pearl wants to promote Style that Gives Back. We want to give back by empowering women and teens to feel confident in their uniqueness. We want to give back by creating quality products with versatility and functionality. And we want to give back by helping those that are suffering with blood cancers/disorders and raising awareness.

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.
I love to shop but more than that I love to support other small business owners. So a definite stop would be the Sistah Shop in Atlantic Station. The store carries over 100 black owned women brands including Dorothy’s Pearl.

Next it would have to be the Cheba Hut it’s my favorite all time favorite eating spot in Atlanta. I love the low key yet colorful vibe. I also like a chill vibe so Bar Vegan would be included in our chill time.

I’m a super chill person and a lady of a certain age so anyone looking to hang with me definitely knows there in for a relaxing low key time.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are multiple people that deserve a shout out and recognition in my story.

My Sister Kim
My Husband Will
My Daughter Syd
My Father
My Friend Jess
Aisha owner of The Sistah Shop

Website: https://www.dorothyspearl.com

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

Image Credits
Zeb Stewart
Syd Stewart