We were lucky to catch up with Ray Trimm recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ray, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My work ethic was derived from my grandfather’s on both sides of my parents. They worked copious hours to provide and never waned, despite the pressures and conditions to provide for their families. They were the benchmark for consistency, hustle, grit and how to ameliorate a situation.
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?
Concerning myself, I am the youngest of four children, with a sizable age gap, therefore I was in some facets, considered an only child, which lead to imagination. There was always a fascination with art, sports and music being raised in the eighties. Despite living in a destitute area, there was a lot of great influences that I could subsume. Moments of watching break dancing, playing tackle football, and attending the YMCA that help position and position my life. Being raised in the West End of Cincinnati was trying at times, but there were far more peerless moments than anything. I’ve nurtured my talent for art and sports there.
There areas of my of life that I currently focus on are being in a good space spiritually, also dividing my time with family, and developing the business my 16 year plus coed boutique and brand, E.V.R (Exclusive, Vintage & Rare).
As a shop owner and designer, it’s pure euphoria to watch the business grow from crawling to running and climbing to heights I thought were unattainable. I’ve initially started out as a sneaker reseller, prior to the shop opening in June 2007, and was quite successful selling on eBay with an immense knowledge of footwear. This gave me the confidence to open and brick and mortar shop, coupled with the fact of having a desire to control my own destiny after surviving two layoffs. So it was only fitting to pursue a passion for fashion.
I currently curate designs for our private label, E.V.R brand, which has unimaginably involved launching a few shoe lines that are meticulously crafted, on top of custom clothing. I’ve had an immense amount of hands on experience, from designing the actual website, ordering and handpicking stock for men & women, since we are the only minority coed boutique in the city, to arranging and photographing products/models for upcoming marketing campaigns.
There’s a new division that will be launching soon, entitled the “Vintage Vault” and this will be grandiose and colossal! It where recherché items from areas of sports and music culture will be sold! It’s a huge undertaking that will unveil this fall in 2023.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
In retrospect, the three main ingredients that aided my journey were hard work, creativity and research. Though it may sound cliché, but without the sweat equity, the other ingredients won’t equate to much…
The advice I would freely expound on would be to be dedicated daily, set goals to achieve and if you don’t accomplish them, still keep them as bulletin board material to strive for. Hard work and being a genuinely good person, (not subservient) will open doors.
As far a creativity, inspiration comes to those open to receive it. You can be inspired by the environment, literature, music and so forth. Don’t emulate what’s already there but look at the recipe and draw from there.
Lastly, do your due diligence and research, research, research. It saves unnecessary heartaches at times. Know the competition, (what they have and lack), research demographics and salaries if you’re considering a venture in a certain area, and research price points constantly to stay competitive. Without implying research, you are driving in the dark without headlights…on a rainy day.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
I would say the biggest challenge has been compartmentalization. There are days when you have to not give as much time to certain aspects to attend to area of neglect. Anything in life that gets neglected, direct or indirect will erode, I personally have to be patient and disciplined (and still evolving) with marketing efforts, watching sales, developing private label product ideas, etc. To ameliorate different aspects, let them grow organically and not overwhelm yourself with distractions and doubts. Trust GOD and be steadfast, even when things are out of your control or have a bleak outlook. Compartmentalize your life, so things don’t seep and disturb the ataraxy you have.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.evrbrand.com
- Instagram: @evrbrand
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/EVRbrand
