Girl Tribe opens a store in SouthPark
December 1, 2022
Think pink … and purple, sparkly and fun: Cheeky graphic tees and embroidered baseball caps have arrived in SouthPark. Girl Tribe Co. has opened its third brick-and-mortar location at Shops at Morrison. But alongside “Dolly Vibes” hats, oversized “Cool Mom” mugs and hot-pink tulle dresses, you’ll also find faux-fur shackets and cozy sweaters in more subdued, neutral shades. The store also sells jewelry, candles, bath bombs and other small accessories.
Sarah Baucom and Carrie Barker started the local brand in 2014 selling graphic tees. The business mushroomed, and a year later they held their first pop-up shopping event featuring all-female vendors.
Girl Tribe still hosts pop-ups, including an uptown holiday event Dec. 10-11 with more than 100 vendors. But in 2017, after customers kept showing up at their office to buy stuff, the partners decided to open their first permanent retail space. After a few years of wild success in burgeoning South End, Baucom and Barker began thinking about expansion, opening a 10,000-square-foot spinoff, Girl Supply, in Huntersville, earlier this year.
“After Covid, we saw this strong need for a return to retail with this in-person experience of purchasing,” Barker says. SouthPark was a no brainer for the next location, she says. “The SouthPark area is almost a destination for retail, so that made a lot of sense for us to get into this spot.”
At 1,700 square feet, the new store is nearly double the size of the South End location and offers items at a slightly higher price point. Most clothing at the new store is priced between $30 and $100, Barker says.
Customers can pose for photos by the fern and moss wall by The Savage Way or in the custom Girl Tribe photo booth. Eventually, the store will house a custom shop — a place for shoppers to design patch sweatshirts, denim jackets and accessories.
As Girl Tribe’s original fan base of young professionals gets older, the founders hope to keep introducing new people to the brand.
“Sarah and I, we’re aging out of our demographic, too,” Barker says. “But I think we have customers that have kind of aged with us. We try to play to all that — even like where a mom and daughter can come and shop and [both of them] can find something here.”
— Cathy Martin
Girl Tribe is open seven days a week and is located at 532 Governor Morrison St., Ste. C-120. girltribeco.com
