Stacey Fraser, founder of childrenswear brand Pink Chicken, spent about 15 years in the corporate fashion world, holding design positions at Gap and Tommy Hilfiger, but she didn’t necessarily envision running an apparel business of her own. 

That changed after her second daughter was born. “I realized I needed more balance in my work,” Fraser says. “It was very different back then. We were working 60-hour weeks and traveling nonstop. So I made the choice to leave the corporate world.”

Fraser loves vintage textiles and colors, but most children’s clothing existed between two extremes: “basic, character-driven” clothes and “preppy, pristine, smocked” dresses. So Fraser collected fabrics to make her girls clothes. Soon, people began asking where she got them. 

Fraser created three designs and tapped into her network

The clear white space and demand kicked off Fraser’s journey as an “accidental entrepreneur.” Pink Chicken launched in 2006, bootstrapped above the founder’s garage. 

Fraser started with three dresses and tapped into her network. She ultimately connected with artisans in India to print the fun, colorful designs that remain the brand’s calling card. Pink Chicken continues to work with those same artisans and design all of its prints in-house to this day, nearly two decades later.

Pink Chicken, still self-funded, is now an eight-figure brand. The company boasts 11 retail stores across the U.S. and more than 400 wholesale partners, including Bloomingdale’s. It also counts celebrities like Kate Hudson and Hilary Duff among its loyal fans.

Pink Chicken is leaning into physical retail stores

Over the years, through the inevitable ups and downs that come with ongoing growth in a highly competitive industry, Fraser has learned how critical it is for founders not to lose sight of why they started their business. Staying close to the customer plays an important role, she notes. 

That’s why, even as many brands shied away from physical retail over the last decade-plus, especially amid the pandemic’s online sales boom, Pink Chicken continued to prioritize its brick-and-mortar stores. Those storefronts cultivate a  “true connection” to the customer, the founder says.  

The stores, which serve as “community hubs” and host various activities, including crafting events, offer opportunities for engagement. Those moments don’t happen the same way on social media (though Fraser still does try to answer most DMs herself).

Fraser says that speaking with customers in person is one of her favorite things to do. Nothing beats the one-on-one interaction and chance for feedback: what people are loving or not, which items they wish had long sleeves or pockets, etc. 

Pink Chicken opened six new stores within the last two years

Pink Chicken’s first store, a 250-square-foot “little jewel box” on Main Street in Amagansett, New York, opened its doors in 2008. Four more locations followed. Pink Chicken held firm with five brick-and-mortar shops for about a decade. Within the last two years, the company opened six more. 

Pink Chicken’s physical retail strategy is often top of mind when the company hires employees, too, Fraser says, adding that hiring for culture is nearly as important as hiring for skillset.

She wants every employee to buy into the passion-led business, especially if they’re on the ground with customers in stores. In December, all of Pink Chicken’s corporate employees were encouraged to work a “mini shift” in the brand’s retail shops. 

“It’s supporting our retail stores, and also it is a joy being in the stores and talking to the customers,” Fraser says. “A lot of times when you’re in the corporate office, you don’t get a chance to connect one-on-one with the customers. So we’re pushing everybody into the stores this month. It’s been really fun.”  

20 years does feel like a big milestone. A big achievement.

As Pink Chicken approaches its 20th anniversary this year, Fraser looks forward to celebrating the brand and the community that’s helped it succeed. 

“I can remember when I signed my first 10-year lease, on a retail store, and I was like, Oh my God, 10 years. Are we even going to last 10 years?” Fraser says. “So 20 years does feel like a big milestone. A big achievement.”

This article is part of our ongoing Women Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of running a business as a woman.

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