Life & Work with Shanikki Peterson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanikki Peterson.

Hi Shanikki, 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?
I’m originally from Jacksonville, FL. I moved to Tampa back in 2000 to attend The International Academy of Design and Technology. I graduated first with an Associates’s Degree in Fashion Design and Marketing, then resumed my studies and obtained my BFA in Fashion Design and Marketing. After graduating, I found it very hard to find a job in my field. Even though I went to school for Fashion, no one would give me a job, so at that point, I decided to create my own company while working full time for a major financial institution. I promoted my business during this time by doing fashion shows, photoshoots, and marketing on social media, which at the time was MySpace, then Facebook and my website. After being layed off at my job during the financial crisis, I packed up my things and moved to Atlanta and continued to market my company but decided to go back to work after seven months cause I needed more money.

I got back on with the same financial institution, then eventually moved back to Tampa, FL after being in Atlanta for a little bit over a year. I came back with a vision to once open my own business and never work for someone else again. After a few years of working, I decided to go back to school and I enrolled at Saint Leo University, where I obtained my MBA in Marketing while working full time and running my company on the side. At this point, I was building everything for that moment when I would leave. I bought necessary supplies and equipment for when I would actually leave. I worked for the same company for about four years working in different departments and realized that I wasn’t truly happy working for someone else as I had my own passion, so in July 2014, I resigned and started my own company. In my first shop, I leased a room where I would sew that was at a little boutique in Treasure Island. After months of realizing that the market was not for me, I brought my location closer to the city, in the heart of Tampa on 50th and Hillsborough. It was a collaborative space geared to Black Businesses which was supposed to be the stepping stone of businesses to help them transition from a small business to the real business world. I was there for about three years and decided I wanted my own storefront, so I moved to Brandon, Fl. Currently been here for two years and the business has transitioned to something great. I have always done business online and been successful, but since Covid-19, the retail portion of the store has drastically picked up as now we have exotic dancewear, shoes, boutique items like apparel and accessories.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The most challenging thing for me is learning how to scale the business. A lot of stuff is really just trial and error and doing a lot of research and reading. Some ideas don’t work, so we have to try different strategies to see what works. Covid-19 was definitely a struggle because I wasn’t sure how the outcome would have been, but actually, Covid-19 was a great thing for my business.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are a custom design house. We have a boutique and we select trendy items to put in our store. We also do custom designs, clothing, swimwear, gowns and exotic dancewear. We service a lot of clubs in Tampa by making outfits for the Bartenders and Bottlegirls.

What makes you happy?
Seeing other people happy, because it is so many reasons to be mad. The world is crazy but if you choose happiness, you have the power, so I try to make people feel happy especially when it comes to items we create. I want my customers to feel happy or make a bag when they are wearing our garments. It makes me smile.

Contact Info:

• Email: lujeanik@gmail.com
• Website: www.lujeanik.com and www.attitudebehavior.com
• Instagram: @LuJeanikBoutique (Boutique Page) @AttitudeBehaviorClothing (Exotic Dancewear) @LuJeanik (Custom Designs)