Today we’d like to introduce you to Tausha Sanders.
Tausha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been in the retail industry for over ten years. I started taking it more seriously when I entered college in 2010. I attended The Art Institutes International in Kansas City for Fashion Marketing and there is where I realized what route I wanted to ultimately go. Most of my classmates wanted to work for departments stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom or Nieman Marcus after they graduated but I knew very early on that wasn’t for me. I was into streetwear and all my projects in school were based around that. My first internship was at a skate shop called RideFourEver, this is where I learned a lot about skate culture and the industry. After graduating with my Bachelors of Arts in 2013, I applied to my dream internship at Karmaloop in Boston, MA. After eight months of trying, I finally got the job and moved to the East Coast in 2014. I will forever say Karmaloop was the best and worst job of my life! I started as an intern, where I made $2.50 an hour toward clothes, eventually hired on as a Marketing Assistant and then quickly promoted to Social Media Manager. I learned so much at my time there and knew I was capable of doing anything after that.
After a year and a half, I decided I was ready to move on from Karmaloop and Boston’s cold weather and ended up looking for jobs in Houston. My first pick was Sneaker Summit, I attended one of their events in the Summer of 2012 and thought it would be a perfect job opportunity for me. I was hired on as Social Media Manager and moved to Houston in the Summer of 2015 and after about a year with the company, the owner came to me about his idea of opening a sneaker consignment store and asked me to be a part of it. The Sneaker Summit Storefront opened in the early Fall of 2016. The store was for sure a learning process, this was the first time I was apart of something essentially ground up. I believe the store is definitely a Houston staple now and it’s great to not only be one of the longest running sneaker conventions in the world but also an amazing store you can visit throughout the year. I currently am the Marketing, Events and Store Manager for Sneaker Summit and Sneaker Summit Storefront.
In February 2018, I founded SneakHer Summit, the female division of Sneaker Summit with Wendy Franklin. I wanted to showcase women in the industry and throw sneaker events tailored toward females. We recently celebrated one year and the support has been so genuine and heartwarming. I don’t think I could have started this anywhere else but Houston, everyone here really puts on for the city and loves helping one another with their business ventures!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road. I think you have to have trials and tribulations in order to see what you are capable of handling. I am a firm believer that certain things need to happen in order for other things too. There were plenty of times where I didn’t know what my next move was going to be, I am a worrier and a planner so making decisions is sometimes tough for me. My everyday struggle is trying to realize not everyone moves like me, not everyone does business ethically or morally like me. Also, being a women in a male-dominated industry is the most challenging aspect of my career! I get told almost everyday that I am too emotional, too blunt, too sensitive, etc. I’ve had to fight for equal pay, respect and to be treated the same as male counterparts throughout my entire career.
SneakHer Summit and Sneaker Summit – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
With Sneaker Summit, there are two parts, the event, and the store. I am the event coordinator for the event, I handle everything before and during the event. We host the Sneaker Summit in Houston twice a year, Summer and Winter. We also host one during All-Star and SXSW, as well as pop-ups in various cities. I make sure pretty much every detail is taken care of leading up to the event and the day of the event. With the store, I handle all marketing, in-store events and day to day operations. Lastly, I run all social media for Sneaker Summit.
I always say Sneaker Summit (the event) is a show for the people, we put on a production to entertain guests from all over! We put in so much effort, time and thought into making this event memorable for everyone. It is so much more than just a sneaker convention! It’s so Houston and I think that’s what makes us different from the other, you can’t fake Houston culture, you have to really be about it.
Many people know me as the “Sneaker Summit Girl” and so I coined myself as the First Lady of Sneaker Summit. That’s one the reason why I started SneakHer Summit, it just made sense. SneakHer Summit and a host committee put on a Sneaker Charity Ball every fall called Graceful Laces, last year was the first one and was a huge success, we look forward to this years!
I am so excited to see where SneakHer Summit goes, the first year has been amazing and I look forward to the future.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I think success is when you are doing what you love and you are getting paid to do it. I know many people who just do “sneakers” on the side and have a full-time nonrelated job. I am extremely blessed to have this as my career. I get paid to talk about sneakers and throw dope sneaker events, what could be better?
Contact Info:
- Address: Sneaker Summit
3814 S Shepherd Dr.
Houston, TX 77098 - Website: sneakersummit.com
- Email: tausha@sneakersummit.com
- Instagram: @taushaquan @SneakerSummit @SneakHerSummit
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sneakersummit/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SneakerSummit
Image Credit:
Ariel Chapas, LaTroya Brooks
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