Small town business owner survives pandemic by live-streaming fashion shows on Facebook

When COVID-19 hit, Virginia Sharp knew she had to keep paying her bills as the owner of a small boutique, so she decided to think outside the box.

Given mandated shelter-in-place orders, she transitioned her sales efforts from the brick-and-mortar location in Macon, Georgia, to social media which reaches the masses. Every Friday night she started streaming live fashion shows with a different theme each week—and it transformed her business.

From the first “White Party” three months ago, to a Girl’s Trip, a Yacht Party—and even a Coffee Chat that featured three colors, ‘black, cream, and sugar’—Sharp has found an online niche, and it has percolated sales coming from new customers as far away as Alaska.

A large part of her business is now packing up boxes to ship all over the country.

“Our community is loving the live theme shows on Facebook,” she told GNN.

Although she’s always loved fashion and wanted to be a model growing up, her parents didn’t approve, so she followed in her mother’s footsteps and worked a nurse for 30 years. But it didn’t diminish her dream to “one day own a cute shop.”

“Although I was in the medical field, I chose a position which still allowed me to be a fashionista because I was a nurse liaison who could dress and visit the hospitals and evaluate patients for acute and subacute rehab. That’s how I built my customer base because everyone knew me by the way I dressed.”

“I fell in love with nursing after being pushed into it, but I never stopped wishing to one day own my own business…I believed I could so I did!”

Six years ago, she made it a reality on Ingleside Avenue, opening Daemarii’s Unique Boutique.

Sharp vows to continue the virtual fashion shows on her Facebook page, as part of the brand, even if her shop gets back to full capacity.

“It’s exciting to see what we’re going to do next,” she told WMAZ News.

Another reason for wanting to grow more nationwide is to encourage and inspire others to follow their dreams.

“Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”

“Do what you love and the money will follow. Never give up!”