We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Breana Kennedy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Breana below.
Breana, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
There has been so much research into nature versus nurture building a person into who they are and it seems like no matter who does the study that they have found that both play a large part. That is very much the case for myself as well. I realize I am bias but my mom is the most optimistic human you will ever meet. She has lived a very full life with tons of blessings but also many hardships and the one thing you can always count on is her perseverance and ability to find the light in any darkness. Being raised with someone that is that optimistic it’s basically impossible that it wouldn’t rub off on me. Additionally, my husband is laughably light and positive. I always joke that I have to stress twice as much to make up for his inability to worry about things. He is also so faithful and sure that our ability to worry about things is pointless because not only does it not change the ultimate outcome but it just causes us unnecessary stress. Any time I feel my optimism slipping he is a sure way back to my happy place. Besides the nurturing elements around me I have honestly always just felt this constant “happy” in my life. I wish I had a better word because “happy” feels a bit juvenile but in a way I have always been slightly childlike in my joy for life and all things really. I thrive off new experiences, being with the people I love and always seeking positivity. Even considering myself an optimist I for sure have had challenges both personally and professionally that have nagged at that “happy” but it is so interesting that I know right away when I am off and really try to take steps to getting back to me. I am a huge advocate for taking care of yourself mentally and physically. Yoga, pilates, and spin are a very important activity for me and I try to prioritize “me” moments. When you have a laundry list of responsibilities it is easy to put yourself last. I have always been a pleaser and hate the feeling of disappointing people so I have really had to put a conscious effort into carving out time daily for myself. You really do give people the best version of yourself when you care for your own well being too. I feel thankful all the time for my resting “happy.” If you reflect a moment, you can choose to focus on the darkness and sadness that is laced throughout the world or you can choose to see how much beauty and light there is. Just showing kindness throughout your day or smiling at someone you don’t know can change the course of the rest of their week. People often feel defeated and small because they can not do enough to fix the large problems our world houses but that doesn’t mean you can’t fix smaller ones. If we all tried to be more of a light in the world, all those small lights coming together end up making a huge brightness and suddenly that darkness gets smaller.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am the Co-Owner of TAB Showroom which is a multi-brand contemporary clothing showroom. We focus on brands that provide great value to our accounts. An example of this is the majority of the brands we represent retail under $100 which is a very relevant price point currently. Additionally, for any of our offerings that are higher than that $100 price they should be retailing at a substantially higher price than they do. Our leather brand retails at under $300 and is primarily lamb leather which generally retails closer to $700 so we have created this niche offering that we are really proud of. I keep saying “we” because my business partner/work-wife Tali (the T in TAB) is my other half in all decisions and we have built this incredible business ecosystem from the ground up together. I think one of the most exciting things about what we do is this constant shift with not only the seasons but also the economy and all other x-factors that get thrown at us. There is never monotony in what we do and if there ever is time that we feel a bit of grass growing under our feet we get busy and creative with new and innovative ways to keep growing our business. The funny thing with being a middle man handling sales is honestly you sometimes feel like you can sell anything or plug and play in any industry but the more I have pondered over this I actually think that the one missing element would be the passion behind the sales. I love clothing, I always have. I started dressing myself at three and never looked back. My entire young life I told people I would be a fashion designer and own my own brand one day. I am not sure that is in the cards for me now with all the information I have gathered over the 18 years I have been doing this but I have learned that you should never assume on what you will strive for in the future. I have changed so much from starting my career in the fashion industry, getting married, having children, opening a business. There are many decisions I have made that a young Breana would have never expected so who knows what else I may accomplish but for now I am very happy to stick to my lane of selling the beautiful clothing other very talented people design. I will say though that one of my favorite elements of what we do is the creative end. Tali always jokes that I am VP of Marketing because I get so excited about new ways we can promote our company. We are constantly pivoting as ideas become more mainstream and are no longer unique. We love being trailblazers. We just recently crated our first ever showroom catalog. Stores have been doing these for decades but we noticed as many got away from this over the years with all the new technological advancements and the explosion of social media that many people were missing that more hands on, in-person approach to shopping. The biggest tell is how busy our boutiques became after the world started opening up from the Covid closures. People wanted that one-on-one shopping experience. As humans the tactile element to experiencing anything is so important and the ease of online shopping took that away a bit. We started noticing some of the bigger retailers sending these beautiful catalogs again to drive traffic to their stores and instead of just tossing these books out I got excited to leaf through them and get inspiration and I even found it sending me to look up the items I was seeing. Thats when the idea of a showroom catalog came in. No other contemporary clothing wholesaler was doing this so he mailed out our first TAB Showroom Catalog in December. We learned a ton about what to do and plenty of what not to do for the next one as well but we got great feedback from stores and it’s a fantastic selling tool for us now. This is where I feel like I get to express all the creativity I have. These marketing and PR ideas we well as helping with design and merchandising all the brands we represent. We are very hands on and constantly in meetings reviewing product and suggesting new designs. I feel thankful every day that I love what I do and have created this career I am so proud of and have such a passion for.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the best skill anyone can have is an openness to learn. I have found in the 18+ years I have been in the working world that people often go into situations thinking they know it all or don’t have room for growth. I find that mindset crazy because I am learning every day. If you are open to it you can acquire knowledge every day you are on this Earth. I think some people look at this skill as showing weakness, like they don’t have the experience or knowledge they should and that is so limiting. I love picking peoples brain and asking a lot of questions. I think that is how I have acquired so much knowledge about what I do and more efficient practices. I also find that not all industries cross research. I love educating myself on new technologies or ways other industries are being effective and try to apply them to what I do.
I also think being good at reading people can be a very powerful skill to possess. My husband is constantly saying “we are all the hero of our own story” and it really is so crazy how different everyones perspective can be on the exact same interaction. The color of our life, mood, morning all play roles in how we see things. I have always felt pretty good at reading people because I care to see how they feel and why. I continue to put a conscious effort into trying to see the others perspective. I am a work in progress like everyone else but just keeping that thought in mind has helped me in business and in life to navigate certain circumstances.
Lastly, I think my desire to be unique has always served me well. In fashion when you are presented with a new season it is always funny how you can tell what was projected to be a huge hit for the season because you can count on all my brands having that item on their line. As much as those often turn into strong sellers, the styles that always sell best are those unique stand out pieces that you can not find everywhere. My buyers are seeing tons of product when they are shopping for their stores so it’s always clear when we have those unique pieces they aren’t getting other places because they get excited about it. I strive to be like that piece! I do not want my showroom to look like everyone elses. I want people to know the difference when they step into TAB Showroom and that is why my business partner and I prioritize being unique so much. Blending into a crowd will never fuel your success- I am happy to be the Giraffe amongst a sea of antelopes.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
Both my parents from an early age taught me the importance of work ethic. That is absolutely one of the primary reasons I have been successful. I started working at 15, I worked every summer and all throughout college and never stopped. It is important to contribute, even as a child. It gives you a sense of purpose and also teaches you that things in life do not just appear, someone is behind the scenes doing the work. I think this made me a more appreciative person because I had a sense of the value items had from an early age. My dad worked my entire life. He managed the Prop Department for Paramount Studios my entire childhood and people really respected him as a manager. He knew everyones name, he is the most punctual person you will ever meet (meaning he arrives at least ten minutes early) and he was always really kind and jovial with his employees. I always loved going to work with him, imagine driving around in a golf cart and passing by the set of Fraser. I was pretty awestruck as a child at how “cool” my dads job was. Now that I am an adult I tend to be more awestruck by how many people reported to him and how incredibly reliable he always was for his family even with such an important job. He has instilled that work ethic in me and I am so thankful. My mom also is the hardest worker you will ever meet. I always joke her life is full of fun facts and one of them is that she was an actress on the show Dallas in the 80’s. She was so strong in her reliability that even after having me and not having childcare for me at a young age she would bring me on set where I would sit under her desk while filming her scenes with Larry Hagman. Even when she took years off from working to be a full time mom she was constantly doing fundraisers and non-profit work and somehow becoming the head of major events- I think people saw that she was going to do everything not only right, but beyond the way anyone else could do it. She really proved that age has no baring when she started her business at 50 and it has grown year after year. My parents have solidified my desire to go all in and shown how important it is to be reliable and ethical in everything I do. I hope to instill this in my children- I will blame work ethic on my 6 year old already bringing the trash bins up from the street each week!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TABShowroom.com
- Instagram: @TABShowroom
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breana-kennedy-a896827/
Image Credits
Dennis Sosa
