Today we’d like to introduce you to Missy Johnson.
Hi Missy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Born in Ft Lauderdale, raised in Ohio due to my Dad’s job but my family origins are all Southern on my Mother’s side so I grew up spending time with family in South Carolina and Florida. I would spend a few weeks every Summer with my Aunt and Uncle who lived in Miami Florida but had a house in the Florida Keys. I definitely get my love of all things beach, coast, ocean from my Uncle Bill and my Dad Ed. They shared their mutual love of the outdoors with me from snorkeling, hiking and boating to visiting local aquariums and learning everything I could about the oceans and its creatures.
I graduated from college in Ohio with a Fine and Applied Arts Degree and moved to Charleston where I took a Graphic Designer position with a local apparel / promotional company. I continued working in the apparel / promotions field for different companies around Charleston for over 30 years. A lot of the companies would lock in amazing contracts with clients and I would be put to work designing merchandise to be printed and applied to a variety of products that would be sold in and around Charleston beach and surf shops, local boat charters, boat builders, events, vacation resorts, fishing tournaments and more…
Around 2012 I decided to step away from the day job to pursue a new venture of my own to build an apparel brand or something art related. Wasn’t really sure if the next step would be an apparel type brand since I was a bit burnt out from doing apparel and promotions for so long so spent a couple years trying different artsy things from hand made chalkboards to block printing. Started setting up around town at local markets and selling my products which was a fun adventure and didn’t really pay the bills but felt like I was on the right path to creating my own art biz
I live in an up and coming area of North Charleston and it was my husband who mentioned why dont I design some merch for the local area. So I worked on some sketches and ideas and came up with Park Circle Local Brand apparel and stickers. I set up at a local neighborhood market and sold out completely that night at the event! I continued to build on the Park Circle neighborhood merchandise and was selling at a variety of local events from markets to holiday shopping events.
It was going well and wherever I set up we sold out! So I knew this was the correct direction and I didn’t want a niche type of business ie just a Park Circle Local Brand shop I really wanted a surf / coast style brand and shop. That’s when I rebranded the little business I was running so I went ahead and set up an LLC for the biz and we laughed Black Octopus Mercantile.
It took about a year to really get people on board with the new name and business but we continued to sell Park Circle Local Brand goods under the Black Octopus umbrella so once everyone understood what we were doing rebranding and the plan for the new venture we took off! Started doing numerous local markets every week and building the brand and merchandise. People were really digging what BOM was about and that I was making and creating everything from my original sketches and scribbles. That was definitely the winner for gaining customers and fans!
I continued to do markets and events, rented a space in a couple of local vendor spots around town and kept moving toward the idea of having an actual retail shop. I spent almost 4 years at The Station Park Circle which is a local vendor space in my neighborhood. Was having fun and enjoying building the business and growing the BOM line and feeling more confident everyday that I finally found my groove!
It was a total surprise when I had the opportunity to rent a local space of my own in the Fall of 2021. Coolest part is the spot was located right in my neighborhood too! How good is that? I get to live where I work and work where I live!!! Oh Yeah!!!
Rollin’ forward 3 years now and Black Octopus Mercantile is still open and rockin’ the neighborhood. It’s been a fun and wild ride but very grateful to still be in biz and getting the opportunity to grow my art and brand. Our shop was in a Hallmark movie, we are one of the many local businesses the Netflix tv show Outer Banks buys from for the show and we are very lucky to have the amazing Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks wearing our merch for the last few years. We have had the most amazing group of people shopping local with us from all over the country and beyond and we continue to build our reach and welcoming many new people to BOM every year.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Running a small business especially a brick and mortar spot is definitely a rollercoaster! Honestly, I knew what being a pop up shop was all about but it was a huge learning curve to opening a shop!! Learned so much about working with contractor to prep the space to our liking, inspections and code departments, business paperwork, yearly fire inspections, having a landlord, learning how a lease works and etc… Whew! Im exhausted just thinking about it! LOL!
A surprising revelation I’ve had is also how different pop up market customers are very different from retail shop customers. I am literally a one person show and I do everything for my business from design creation and maintenance of the building to printing, taking calls, customer service and running the shop. I take a couple days off a week and this bothers people that we aren’t open everyday. I work hard to bring the best of the best in apparel and gifts even I get tired! LOL!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I love drawing and the majority of my work is scribbled down in a sketchbook, then I take a picture of the sketch with my phone then upload it to my computer to clean it up and prepare it for printing and production.
Black Octopus Mercantile is a surf / coast style brand so I enjoy drawing anything that falls into these categories from tattooed octopus, skateboarding sharks to narwhals, rollerskating opossum, fish, skulls and more. I love creating all the funky creatures with my retro twist vibes of the southern, coastal, surfy style.
My art has a very retro look to it. Many people ask if I am a tattoo artist since the designs look somewhat like tattoos and block prints.
Our designs have a definite look since I am the only one creating them but I do work on making sure its a cohesive brand but lots of different images that make the BOM stand out. The line has a variety of images and people really like our style.
I love designing a new kind of souvenir type image and product that people can’t find anywhere else. It was one of my goals to create unique images that make BOM stand out as a brand but also can work to be things that people vacationing tourists and visitors to our area will dig taking home as their souvenirs from their trips.
The art and vibes of BOM is a huge collection of my experiences, people and creatures that inspire me. I’m proud of that!
Contact Info:
- Website: blackoctopusmerch.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/blackoctopusmercantile
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/blackoctopusmercantile
