NOLA Designs - 5 Years Anniversary

NOLA Designs is turning 5, and we couldn’t be more excited and grateful for this significant milestone! As a boutique interior design agency that specializes in creating stunning retail spaces for female-owned brick-and-mortar businesses, we’ve been on an exciting journey over the past 5 years. And we want you to be a part of it!

Our amazing founder & head designer, Nickeisha, has poured her heart and soul into NOLA Designs, and we couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved so far. From designing unique and memorable places to creating unforgettable shopping experiences, we really think that we truly made our mark in this industry!

Join us as Nickeisha takes us behind the scenes and answers some of the most-asked questions about NOLA Designs. From the challenges we’ve overcome to the incredible successes we’ve achieved and future plans, this blog post is a celebration of all that we’ve accomplished!

Let’s raise a toast to the next five years of NOLA Designs! We couldn’t have made it this far without your support, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds. Thank you for being a part of our journey!

What inspired you to start NOLA Designs, and how did you get the business off the ground in the early days?

I started NOLA Designs because I was really passionate about wanting to design chic retail stores with an inspiring experience. I never really had the opportunity to design these types of spaces in my career. I always loved going into stores that just sparked something in me, the stores that made me want to stay longer, discover products and take photos always had my heart. Naturally, as an interior designer, I would analyze what these stores did in their environments that made me love them so much. In my observations, I came across very few small businesses that were able to spark this inspiration in me, it was always a large retailer. That’s when I noticed the small business market being underserved by retail designers. At that moment I had the idea for how I would niche NOLA Designs. Prior to this realization, NOLA Designs was offering general residential and commercial design (which wasn’t always a fit for me as a retail designer). So I made the choice to niche NOLA Designs to make the distinction of specializing in retail design for female-owned businesses so I could work on the types of projects I was passionate about.

I got NOLA Designs off the ground by cold emailing. I searched for small women-owned brick-and-mortar stores in the Toronto area that I was inspired by and could help in some way. In my emails, I shared my experience and what I specialized in. I also joined Facebook groups for brick-and-mortar store owners and boutique shops to get the word out. That consistent feedback challenged me to focus on the problems I could solve for these small business owners and the value I could bring with my expertise. With this insight, I refined my offerings/services to cater to what female business owners really needed help with and that was really the turning point for NOLA Designs.  

Looking back on the past five years, what are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as a retail design business, and how have you overcome them?

Getting the female small business owners to see the value in what I offered vs. the DIY approach. It was very tough to overcome that objection and I totally respect where they were coming from. Meeting them where they were was important to me and accepting that every small business owner was in a different phase in their journey to be able to invest. So, having empathy for that helped me be more understanding in their objections. I also didn’t want to leave them out of my offering and it forced me to think of ways I could help them cost-effectively. I just really want to see small businesses win in this economy. 

Another challenge I have had to overcome is managing all the details of each project in the execution and building phase. There is SO much to track and coordinate in a renovation that it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the details. So, over the last 5 years, I’ve enlisted help which is how I’ve slowly built my team. I’ve also invested in setting up systems and programs that helped me/us stay on top of all the things that need to be coordinated between our clients and vendors. Programs like Asana and Slack have helped us manage all the project details!

What do you consider to be NOLA Designs' biggest successes over the past five years, and why?

Our organic marketing! About 90% of our clients find us through Instagram! This always boggles my mind and tells me we’re doing something right!

What do you think sets NOLA Designs apart from other retail design businesses, and how do you differentiate your services in a crowded market?

First, we are different because we cater to small businesses. Many retail design firms out there gear their services toward larger retail businesses and small retail businesses are less common in their portfolios. .

Second, we cater to women-owned businesses because we believe in women supporting women. I know women wear so many hats when they run their business. So I thought we could support them and alleviate some of the stress of setting up their shops with our retail expertise. 

Third, we aim at creating a store environment that is social media worthy. As a female shopper myself, I know the impression a cute shop leaves on me, how inspired I am by them and how much I love being in those spaces. That's why we aim to design retail stores that leave the same impression for our client’s customers! It makes such a difference in the shopping experience and perception of the business. 

What have been some of the most memorable or rewarding projects that NOLA Designs has worked on over the past five years, and why were they particularly impactful?

Working on Suetables Toronto was the most memorable and impactful to NOLA Designs because that was the first retail design project that proved to me that I had a viable offering for female-owned small businesses. As an owner, it made me very hopeful for the future of the business.

How has NOLA Designs evolved and grown over the years, and what do you envision for the future of the business?

We have evolved our service offerings quite a bit. We first started off being a more general design business offering residential and commercial design services. Now, we have refined our offering to strictly retail design catered to female-owned businesses. 

In the future, we want to offer more than just interior design and visual merchandising. We want to be a one-stop shop for all design needs for a retail store, from packaging to product styling and photography. 

What message would you like to share with your clients as NOLA Designs celebrates its 5-year anniversary?

Thank you for trusting me with the design of your business! Words can’t express how grateful I am to you for believing in what I offer as a designer and seeing my talent! NOLA Designs wouldn’t be where it is today without your support and interest in the business. I will always be a big fan of your business and will always share your business with pride to my community!

Thank you for being a part of our celebration, and here’s to many more years of beautiful design, creativity, and growth at NOLA Designs!