The Magic of “The Fuzzy Pineapple”

In early September, my friends and I heard about a food truck festival in the Tallahassee area. Anything involving food is an automatic “go,” so we headed downtown to check it out. The food festival was amazing, but the best part about going was learning about the small, black-owned jewelry business that hosted the event: The Fuzzy Pineapple. Despite the “every man for himself” aspect of the business world, I was moved by the fact that this small business was so enthusiastic about coordinating events that would support other small business owners in the Tallahassee area. I got to chat with Nef, the owner, and it was a privilege to get an inside look at how she started and her goals as a business. Something about communities coming together and supporting each other is so magical.

Her Campus (HC): Tell me a little bit about your business.

The Fuzzy Pineapple (TFP): My name is Nef, and I own The Fuzzy Pineapple. Our motto is “where candy meets culture.” We make handmade art, apparel and accessories. The original point of my business was to be a side hustle, but now that I have a storefront it’s soon going to be an artist collective where multiple artists can sell their products. I also thrift clothes and repurpose them to sell them in my store. I basically want to be like a Target, but for creatives! 

HC: How did you get started making jewelry and clothing? Did you always want to own your own business? 

TFP: When I was younger, I wanted to get a job but my dad urged me to start a business. He told me “If you’re going to work for somebody, you should work for yourself.” I didn’t want to make jewelry, but he encouraged me to. He took me to the craft store, he gave me $100, and we bought books (she jokes, this was before “YouTube University”) and supplies. That’s when I started to play around with it and learned to make jewelry from there! After that, I started to branch off into clothing. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a fashion designer, and I’ve always been creative, so that’s where the clothes came in. I’m plus size and finding plus size clothing is still difficult even in today’s climate, but back then it was even more difficult. I started to experiment with tie dye and selling my clothes at pop-up events, and sold my jewelry on Etsy. Suddenly, I started getting daily sales on Etsy off one item, and my business took off from there. I’m a little hesitant about making clothes because of all the waste the clothing industry creates… I had to take a step back and ask myself, “do I want to be a part of the problem or a part of the solution?” I still enjoy supporting other creatives in their clothing work, and tie-dye is the main thing that I make, but I favor thrifting and repurposing clothes so I don’t contribute to the problem. 

HC: I know there’s a question that’s on everyone’s mind: how did you come up with the name “The Fuzzy Pineapple?”

TFP: I think it came subconsciously from being bullied as a kid for having natural hair. I used to be called “pineapple head” a lot as an insult. When I was in college, one of my professors wanted me to make a blog, and I wanted to come up with something catchy. I used to babysit, and one of the kids mentioned a fuzzy pancake. I thought “who comes up with that?” and used the idea to come up with “The Fuzzy Pineapple.”  

HC: What inspires you when you think of different designs? 

TFP: I’m a Pinterest junkie, and I take inspiration from anything. If I get beads on sale, I try to get bead bags. There used to be a challenge called “bead soup” where you would get a bunch of different beads and try to make something out of nothing. Now that we have access to Instagram, I wouldn’t say I follow trends, but I think “would I wear this?” when I’m deciding what to do with an item. Some people say that way of thinking is flawed because you aren’t necessarily your customer, but I’ve noticed that the things that fit the aesthetic of my target audience are also things I like. 

HC: Why do you think it’s important to build community among small business owners? 

TFP: When I first started, there weren’t many places to sell my work and the places that were available were very gate-kept. It’s important to have a community; it’s so difficult to make friends especially when you’re new to a space. When you go to festivals and you create a platform for people, they make friends and everyone is willing to help each other grow. It’s a collaboration over competition environment, which is the most important part to me, it’s very hard to make spaces like that where people can grow, connect and learn. If you want to walk fast, go alone, if you want to walk far, go together. Having community allows us to build off each other: you can gain advice on to better your product marketing growth. The community itself is its own little microcosm of help. 

HC: What has been the most rewarding part of your work? 

TFP: Seeing the growth! Some people have really blossomed, especially the people that come to our festivals. There are a lot of barriers to entry, like money or not having enough products and supplies. People don’t really need that for my festivals. At my festivals, we provide everything you would need for a pop-up at an affordable cost. There are also opportunities to talk to other businesses and ask for help on how to start. The barrier to entry is a lot smaller. 

HC: What are your tips for branching out and networking with other people? 

TFP: It’s kind of weird because I don’t really reach out to other people. What I have learned is it’s easier to do it alone until you can make your own name. Sometimes you reach out to people, and you end up butting heads which can be problematic. Once I was more established, people started reaching out to me. It’s easier that way, because instead of having to find people to collaborate with, they find you, and usually, you all are on the same page because they already like what you’re trying to do. 

HC: What advice do you have for people that want to start Esty shops or small businesses? 

TFP: Do market research, write down a plan and launch when you’re ready, but don’t take too much time to launch. Make a couple of prototypes and get it out there. If it’s digital, get it out there. It doesn’t matter if it’s horrible in the beginning, you can adjust later. Get your first 10 reviews. Get your friends and family to support you. Do not launch just to launch, launch with a plan of action. Get your email list going and get a website going. It doesn’t even have to be a full website; you can just have a “Coming Soon” page. There are a lot of free resources out there, Facebook is free. Even if you only have 10 people, one of them might buy from you. Even if no one buys from you, somebody saw it and now you have eyes on your product. Keep posting every single day. Consistency is key, it doesn’t have to be the best, that’s OK, you can go back and refine it later. Do not wait forever to get your stuff out there, because perfection anxiety is real but it’s all in your head. 

The Fuzzy Pineapple will continue to host food truck festivals every Friday through Nov. 4. Go check it out and support this great business.

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