By Meagan McCarthy '10
Through a combination of business skills, an interest in entrepreneurship, a keen eye for fashion, and a passion for everything preppy, Allie Griffin ’13 recently created her own nautical accessory line called Sand and Coral. After spending summers on Cape Cod and attending Tabor for four years, Allie began college at UMass Lowell and realized just how much she missed living near the ocean. She decided to start Sand and Coral as a way to bring reminders of the ocean back with her to college.
“The nautical nature of Sand and Coral stems from my love of Tabor and my fond memories of ‘the School by the Sea,’” Allie says. This fun, beachy jewelry line features earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and watches with creative names, such as the All-A-Taut-O bracelet and Seahorsing Around necklace.
To ensure that there was a market for her products, Allie began by selling on Etsy, a popular e-commerce site that focuses on handmade or vintage items. From there, she launched her own website which she has been able to personalize with a lifestyle blog. With some help from her sister, Kate ’11, Allie writes posts and includes photos featuring her jewelry, favorite clothing brands, and favorite places. In addition to the website, Allie uses social media as a free and effective way to increase brand awareness. Through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, she has been able to personally connect with customers and fashion bloggers. “The most fun part is wearing my pieces, taking photos, and sharing the products. I love getting pictures from my customers wearing them,” she says.
In just a few short months, Allie has gotten her business up and running with some help from her friends and family. While her sister Kate helps with marketing and generating new ideas, her mom has taken on the role of photographer and her dad helps with her business model. With her family’s support, Allie has learned what it takes to be an entrepreneur. “First and foremost, I’ve learned how important it is to trust what you believe will work and take a risk on it,” she explains. In addition, she has been able to apply the skills she’s learned as an accounting major. “I’ve learned about pricing strategies, marketing a business from the ground up, branding, controlling costs of goods sold and shipping costs, merchandise buying, and, lastly, how to manage relationships with multiple vendors,” she adds.
In the fall, Allie will be transferring to Babson College where she’ll be able to take what she is learning in the classroom and apply it to her business. Although she’ll be balancing her basketball and class schedule, she plans to continue running Sand and Coral and hopes to start selling her products in boutiques.
