BE THE BUYER
THE BOUTIQUE ARCHITECT AN MBA-WIELDING marketing pro who counts Google and Unilever as her prior employers, Maris Johansson has always had an unexpressed entrepreneurial spirit. After helping to build an e-commerce startup called Artifact Uprising from a team of 12 to more than 60 in four years, Johansson took a pause from the business world. After having her second child in 2018, she made the leap to strike out on her own and opened Broomtail in Denver, CO, in May of 2020–that’s right, during the first major wave of the global pandemic. She talks to Earnshaw’s about how she navigated her business through COVID-19 and provides insight for the childrenswear industry that she has gained from her rich and varied work experience.
making daydreams come true
Maris Johansson often uses her kids as a focus group for new merchandise.
What advice do you have for surviving and thriving during tough business times? Simplify and be nimble! I opened my doors in May 2020 when Denver was just coming out of a Covid shelter in place order. All my visions of a grand opening party were quickly dashed, as were all of my initial business
