Evolution of an Enterprise, Chapter 7: Staxx Deal

Jason Mitchell walked into Staxx Apparel on a late January day.

He had read that owner Meghan Stack was revamping her nearly three-year-old clothing store at 331 South Ave., and he wanted to see if his design firm, theworkshop 308 LLC, could be of assistance.

The two entrepreneurs, both in their 20s, talked for about a half-hour that day.

Six meetings later – meetings that included Mitchell’s business partner, Michael Mardis, and Stack’s staff – and an alliance was formed.

Mitchell and Mardis are building Stack a custom display piece. They’re also going to display their original furniture in her store.

Stack said she wants Mitchell and Mardis to succeed, and she expressed her admiration for their talents.

“Here are two small businesses with the same type of really creative atmosphere and dynamic,” Mitchell added.

‘New shopping experience’

Mitchell and Mardis are building Stack a $6,000 custom display wall, measuring 14-by-18-feet and armed with the flexibility to expand or be reconfigured.

“It’s not a solid piece,” Mardis explained. “It’s kind of a frame system.”

Meanwhile, they’re going to display 10 pieces of furniture on the Staxx showroom floor, beginning with the store’s grand reopening during First Friday Art Walk on March 2.

Mitchell and Mardis also plan to sell furniture from their office at 308 W. Commercial St. beginning in April.

But what’s the benefit for Stack? She said the furniture would draw more people to her store.

The furniture, mostly tables and chairs, will retail for between $400 and $1,500. Stack won’t take a cut of any sales at first, though she could in the future, she said.

Stack’s also interested in selling Staxx-brand furniture and clothing, so this could be the first step in that direction.

“We’re all working together to provide a new shopping experience for the city,” Stack said.