The Shine Line

Fashion

Feb 2

We are so excited to tell you about our dear friend and style influencer, designer, and female entrepreneur…Heather Parker!

Heather and I have known each other since 2002. We immediately hit it off when we met on a choir trip to New York. Over sushi, we talked for hours and she quickly became a sister to me and even lived with me for about 6 months. Her family comes from Native roots, and they are seriously the most wonderful, kind, and loving family ever! We sang together in the Saints United Voices choir directed by Gladys Knight for over 15 years. We always shared ideas for businesses over the years and just love and support each other in our personal and business ventures. It’s so nice to have someone close truly understand what it means to be an entrepreneur while still nurturing our families.

She’s always been creative, so when she started designing her own clothes for The Shine Line it came as no surprise to me! Heather is totally in her element! We love how she had incorporated her faith in each piece she designs. Not only are her clothes well made and comfy, but the positive messages make us excited to walk out of the house in the morning!

Scroll down to read our interview with Heather, see some of our favorite picks, and a fun little fashion show we did after buying some of her amazing clothes!

Questions for Heather:

Question #1: What made you want to start your own business?

Answer: “So I’ve always been an entrepreneur. I’ve always liked being in charge and I’ve always liked running the show. I’ve been an opinionated girl my whole life. Early on in my marriage, financially things were hard for us. So I’ve always found ways to make money on my own. I’ve always had a side hustle. I have found there are a million ways to make money…you just have to want to make it. I’ve always told my husband, I’m not going to explain to you why I want the mascara that I want. If I really want something, I want to be able to get it myself. So that’s always been my drive to make my own independent income.”

Question #2: What is your inspiration for the Shine line?

Answer: “The Shine Line came about from a few prior projects and businesses that I had been working on. I produced an album for Desert Book called Shine that was a nondenominational Christian album. It was family oriented with an urban twist to it and had an inner city feel. It was hip and cool and really geared towards you could say the millennial mom and also some of Gen Z. In order to promote the album, I decided I would design a really simple design called Shine, put it on some shirts, and send it out as promo but also just sell it. So it really started out as a simple design.

My background prior to producing the album was in retail. I have spent the past 10 years selling clothing online in various forms from vintage to wholesale. So my background is heavily involved in retail. I had never really entered into design or actually manufacturing my own shirts, but I could definitely see some pros to it and for whatever reason there was a big liking to the shirts and the messaging. So I felt really inspired to keep going with it. However, I did get a little ahead of myself because being a mom I just became overwhelmed at some point with how many things were going on in my life. So, I went really hard with it for a good two or three seasons and then I took the entire summer off. I just sat still and prayed on it and wanted to figure out what my next move would be. So in the time that I took off, I realized that between the album and the business that my life was really out of balance. If I wanted to go back into business again that I needed to find a business partner.

Low and behold, I did! My business partner Ali Sabado and I found each other at girls’ camp and we sort of hit it off. One thing led to another and before you know it we were talking about t-shirts and all these designs. Christian street wear is something that is really big here in Atlanta, and it’s something that I am super passionate about. So with my history in selling clothing, gospel music, and the Christian scene, it just seemed like the perfect fusion of ideas. We are still developing and learning our audience and our market. We are like super super small and we are okay with that, because right now we are still working out a lot of detailing and kinks. Between her and I we make every single item, ship out every single item, and literally pour our hearts into it and we are moms at the same time! So we give each other some grace and we are allowing it to be a slow process.”

Question #3: How do you balance mom life and entrepreneurship?

Answer: “Honestly, I don’t know if there is a good answer and I don’t know that there is balance. There is a give and a take. There are periods of time when your kids really aren’t getting the attention that they need. I wish more bloggers and influencers were transparent about that because a lot of times we only see the accomplishment. We only see the finished product, but we don’t really see what’s happening with the kids during that time. I’m thankful that I have a husband that can help and grandparents that can help, but still there are times when my kids really sacrifice a lot of time from me so that I can accomplish things. There are times when I can acknowledge that and I can say okay I need to pull back a little bit, and now I need to give my kids the time that they deserve. I don’t know if there is a great answer, but to each their own."

Question #4: What would you like to say to moms who want to start businesses of their own?

Answer: “To moms that want to start a business of their own, I would say…plan on failing and what will matter is whether or not you decide to get back up. There are lots of failures along the way, and you’ve got to be your own cheerleader sometimes. Sometime we have to be grown up enough to say this isn’t working and I’ve got to try something new. Really what will define us, is how we deal with those failure because there is no easy road to success. If there is an easy way I don’t know it’s a success that you want. Believe in yourself and keep going. Things get hard but you have to push yourself!” -Heather Parker

We absolutely love her kid’s line of hoodies, crewnecks, and t-shirts perfect for boys and girls! Ranging from sizes XS - XL, these pieces make the perfect gift for any little one. This hooded sweatshirt is cotton/polyester blend with a double lined hood for added warmth with matching drawstring. Pouch pocket for extra carry. Double needle cuffs and waistband for extra durability. Softer feel and reduced pilling. Our favorite little feature: Change the heart red or pink!

Worried about your little one getting it dirty? All hoodies can be machine washed cool, inside out with non-chlorine bleach. Tumble dry!