New Business: Fierce & Frugal Fashion Accessories

Tucker is setting trends with its new addition to the fabulous world of chic boutiques. The big difference? A boutique that caters to both men and women.

Located just off Northlake Parkway, began while husband and wife Andrew and TaJanna Mallory sold trendy, affordable fashion accessories around Atlanta. “We came up with the idea because we moved here about two years ago from Tallahassee, Florida and there is a similar kind of accessories boutique there,” TaJanna said. “So when I came here to Atlanta I was looking for something similar where I [could] go and find really cute things for a nice price... There wasn't anything like that here.”

The couple cultivated an excellent customer base after just one short year of selling at local festivals and moved to open up their own shop. “Once we started vending around the Atlanta area it seemed like we got a pretty good following in customer base but we wanted to be able to provide something for people to come back to. Once they saw our items and liked them, we really didn't have a way for them to come back and shop with us aside from keeping our calendar up to date on the website. So we eventually decided to evolve and open a boutique,” TaJanna said.

The frugal part of this fierce boutique comes from the affordability of the accessories. “All of our rings, bracelets, and earrings start at two dollars and the best part about it is right now we have a small selection of men's items and we plan to eventually grow that. That, I think, is probably the biggest benefit of all. Men's items are usually really expensive,” TaJanna said.

Both Mallorys pride themselves on their shop-smartly-not-expensively approach. “It's how we live our lives. Andrew is an accountant by day so he's all about dollars and cents. We want the best thing that we can find, the cutest, the trendiest, but at a low cost,” TaJanna said.

Being an accountant, Andrew Mallory manages the graphics and accounting side of the business. “The entrepreneurial side of it has always been there. So, for me, I get more of an outlet through the business and the accounting end of it,” Andrew said.

The couple holds a philanthropic view towards the local economy and embodies this in their business model. “Most of our items we buy from local distributors which is also good because we are, in turn, building the economy here locally. That is also just a way of being able to give back and to kind of recreate the cycles,” TaJanna said.

The Mallorys both cracked smiles reflecting on their experiences with the newly opened boutique. “We have only been open three weeks and it has already been a roller coaster ride!” TaJanna exclaimed. “Everything just kind of transpired so fast that we literally weren't prepared. We were prepared to open the boutique but neither of us were prepared to leave our jobs yet. I was at the time working as an administrative assistant for a real estate investment firm and we had gotten within a couple of days to opening and Andrew was like 'Just go ahead and put your two weeks notice in and then be here full time!' So literally our lives have transpired kind of quickly.”

Andrew nodded in agreement before humbly commenting on the Tucker community's response to the boutique's opening. “The word of mouth has pretty much been spreading like wildfire. I didn't expect the word to spread that fast.”

The couple hopes to eventually open more outlets in metro Atlanta. “As soon as we got here, I was already thinking expansion!” Andrew laughed.

“We do want to expand,” TaJanna agreed. “Right now we are here, but we are looking for our next one already to be somewhere further south. But just to keep it in family markets because we do really well vending in areas that are really family oriented... Those are the customers who are pinching their pennies the most.”

Although the Mallorys have no children of their own, they identify with the large family environment. “We come from big families so we know all about being family oriented and pinching your pennies – wanting to be able to reward yourself but not break the bank by doing it,” TaJanna said.

Tucker itself is a source of excitement for the couple. “Aside from just really being excited about being here in this community and growing with the community, we know enough about the business market here, about the revitalization on Main Street, and just kind of how the community in general is looking to expand and grow their business market,” TaJanna said. “We are just really excited to be a part of that growth with them.”

Fierce & Frugal is located at 2200 Northlake Pkwy. Suite 150, Tucker, GA 30084. Opening hours are Tue - Fri, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sat, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Fierce & Frugal website