Today’s interview is with twin sisters, Ashley and Amanda who own the company, Something Good Merch! They are so so incredibly sweet and kind. They recently started this company. So far they are doing an incredible job! I really hope you enjoy this interview with them!
What is your name? Where are you from? (If you are not comfortable saying you do not have to say where you are from!)
Ashley: My name’s Ashley, and I’m from the Chicago suburbs.
Amanda: I’m Amanda, and I’m from the Chicago suburbs.
Tell us a little bit more about Something Good Merchandise!
Ashley: Something Good Merchandise is a merchandise brand whose designs are primarily inspired by Broadway/musical theatre. For the purchase of every product, we donate a portion of the proceeds to a charity that corresponds to the collection/design. Since most of our designs are Broadway-related, a lot of our products benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Amanda: It’s a brand for fans, by fans, and it’s a way to show support for your favorite performers and/or shows while giving back to others.
How did you come up with the name of your company?
Ashley: Our company name is actually one of the last things we came up with while planning the brand. We knew it was going to feature Broadway/musical theatre-related designs, so we wanted the name to somehow tie back to that. I looked for inspiration in dialogue and lyrics from musicals and ended up going to West Side Story, because it’s one of my favorite shows. I went through “Something’s Coming” lyrics, and the words “something good” really stood out to me. I pondered upon the phrase and eventually got the idea to use this brand opportunity as a way to do something good by developing a charitable aspect for it.
Amanda: We love West Side Story, and “Something Good” is a reference from “Something’s Coming”, which is the first song Tony sings. It’s a subtle Broadway reference, and we make Broadway and musical theatre references all the time. So it just felt right to combine our love of WSS and Broadway in general for this merch company. It also refers to the idea that buying from Something Good does something good.
What made you start Something Good Merchandise?
Ashley: I have dabbled in graphic design for over a decade, and I’ve always been a creative person. I studied journalism in college but continued doing graphic design work as a member of my university’s yearbook staff. Since graduating college, I haven’t had as many opportunities to do design work, but I really wanted to keep creating things. I would naturally find inspiration and ideas for designs, including ones for T-shirts, but I never did anything about them. Eventually, I just had so many shirt designs and figured it was time to turn those ideas into a reality. I also wanted to have more fun Broadway shirts to wear so I could show off my love for different shows and performers. But there isn’t much available out there besides the standard shirts you can find at a show’s merchandise stand. I figure there are other Broadway fans who feel the same way, and I hope Something Good can fulfill that need.
Amanda: Late one night two or so months ago, we were up messaging each other on Facebook before we went to bed and for some reason were jokingly planning a concert of our Broadway favorites. Then that conversation somehow morphed into us saying we should start a Broadway-inspired clothing line. We came up with ideas really quickly that night and immediately started taking note of all those ideas in a Google Doc. Then we slowly started creating designs and coming up with branding. Fast forward and here we are! Growing up, I wanted to be a fashion designer, and now I kind of am!
How do you plan out your designs?
Ashley: A lot of the first couple designs were ones that I had already come up with before ever deciding to create this merchandise company. As a designer, I’ll sometimes just see or think of something and come up with an idea. It won’t even be a matter of me trying to develop a design; it just naturally comes to me. For example, I’m a big NBA fan, and I own a lot of different basketball jerseys and shirtseys. One day, I just randomly thought to apply the jersey idea to West Side Story, using the Sharks and Jets as the teams with their members’ names featured on the back. Other than that, we tend to plan designs by focusing on certain phrases and lyrics from shows. When we settle on a general concept, we then refer to colors and other elements from the show to help complete the design. Sometimes, we’ll just play around on Photoshop and see what we can come up with.
Amanda: Overall, we like to plan designs in groups so it can form a cohesive collection. So once I came up with the idea for one Role Call shirt where it lists an actor’s famous roles, it was easy to think of other performers we could do that with. Other designs that have yet to be released include some of our favorite lines or lyrics from shows.
What’s your favorite part of owning Something Good Merchandise?
Ashley: Something Good Merchandise has been way more creatively fulfilling than I ever thought it would, and that has been my favorite part of this young adventure so far. It has filled a void I didn’t quite realize I had.
Amanda: My favorite part of owning Something Good Merch is collaborating with my sister and bonding over our growing and shared love for Broadway and theatre. I also enjoy connecting with fellow fans of the show/performer the merchandise relates to.
Any advice you have for someone wanting to start a business?
Ashley: This is still extremely new to us, so I don’t have much advice to offer. But I will say if you have an idea you’d like to pursue, try it out. We are all blessed with the gift of an ability to create, so put your ideas to use. Get started, and see where it takes you and what you can learn. Also, have someone you can bounce ideas off of. Even if they aren’t a formal business partner, another perspective can be so valuable.
Amanda: Since our business is still very young, we still have a lot to learn. But the advice I have for someone who wants to start a business is to not be afraid to go for it. Successes don’t happen overnight, and even if things aren’t as prosperous as you’d like, at least you gave it an effort and can say you tried. It’s better than thinking “What if?” and you can always decide afterward it’s not for you. But you won’t know if you won’t try. If starting a business is something you want to do, you don’t have to go big. It can be small and just be something simple.
How do you manage school/work, Something Good Merch and everyday life?
Ashley: I have been doing multiple projects/activities for years, so I’m used to having various responsibilities. But it’s all about prioritizing and dedicating time for each project. I’m a freelance writer who works remotely, and I always prioritize that work. But if I need a little time away from work, I have the freedom to do so, which is a great benefit. It lets me focus on something else momentarily and return to work feeling refreshed. When I finish my work, I dedicate my time to other projects, including Something Good.Running Something Good is also something I want to do and find enjoyment in. It’s also easy to find time for something you’re excited for. I work on it in my spare time and have fun doing so. It also really helps having my twin to help with whatever, too.
Amanda: I’m lucky in that I have a relatively flexible work/life balance. I work a part-time job in addition to being a freelance writer, which gives me time to do other things in my free time. On top of that and Something Good, all of the things I do create a good balance of creative fulfillment so I don’t get bored or overwhelmed. I can take a break from one thing and work on something else in the meantime. I have yet to be super stressed about balancing it all, but if it ever feels like too much, I just have to remember that I don’t have to do this: Something Good is something I want to do and something I decided to do. No one is making me do anything. And if I need a break, I can take one and have my sister there to help me through it and with the business.
What do you see for the future of Something Good Merch?
Ashley: We definitely want to find more charities to donate to, and we want to add a lot more designs. We have a couple coming up before the year ends, and we have a bunch more that we haven’t planned release dates for yet. We also want to expand our designs to other forms of pop culture while still maintaining a primary focus on musicals. So we want to do more show-based collections, especially as we see and learn about more musicals. We’re relatively new Broadway fans, as our fandom started two years ago.Aside from that, this is really just something we’re doing for fun. We don’t have a strict plan moving forward; it’s just nice to get our ideas out there and be creative. I’d love for Something Good Merchandise to also double as a community, though. We’ve focused on audience efforts on Instagram, and we hope to get to know and interact with our followers more.
Amanda: As for the immediate, foreseeable future, Something Good Merch has a bunch of new designs we’re releasing in time for the holidays so people can gift them if they want. We’ve always loved High School Musical, and with High School Musical: The Musical: The Series happening, we’re definitely planning some HSM designs! I personally LOVE Taron Egerton, and we’ve gotten a pretty good response from our Taron Role Call T-shirt, so we’re hoping to do more designs related to him and Rocketman. As for more of an overall picture when it comes to the future, we’d love to do collabs and/or host contests. Other than that, we’re just trying to take it one day at a time and see where this takes us!
Who is a woman in the theatre industry that you look up to and why?
Ashley: There are a few women really worth mentioning. When I think of girl boss, I think of Courtney Reed. She started her girl boss adventure while on Broadway, and she reminds me to be the best girl boss I can possibly be. There’s also Abby DePhillips, someone my age who’s already making a name for herself as a producer. It’s inspiring to see a young woman pursue her dreams and find success in a tough industry. I also need to mention Eva Noblezada. Also my age, she’s a fellow Filipina! It’s inspiring to see her thrive on Broadway and also unapologetically be herself.
Amanda: I look up to quite a few women in the theatre industry, so it’s hard to pick just one! But I think Courtney Reed, Broadway’s original Princess Jasmine, is definitely a very fitting answer for this. She’s a girl boss and business owner herself with Gagged Chokers but still travels around the country (and the world!) performing, and I really admire that. Like myself, she has multiple ways of reaching creative fulfillment and using her interests and skills to create a career and life for herself. Plus, I just LOVE Courtney! She’s such a relatable queen and is one of my top three Broadway favorites even though I’ve only seen her perform in a Broadway Princess Party.Another is Stephanie Styles, who I absolutely adore. This actually has nothing to do with her as an actress or performer, because I’ve never actually seen her perform in person and I’ve never been a performer, but Stephanie is the fangirl we all aspire to be. She’s unapologetically herself and always reminds me there’s nothing wrong with being a fangirl and showing lots of support for the things and people you love.I also look up to Teale Dvornik, aka The Backstage Blonde, who’s a Broadway dresser. She’s a blogger and a girl boss herself with merch and a collab with TODAYTIX. Teale often refers to herself as her followers’ “big sister”, and that’s 100 percent true. She always has valuable information to share, from Broadway knowledge to giving advice and tips in her “big sister PSAs”. Overall. I think Teale does a tremendous job at promoting a healthy, positive, and balanced lifestyle, whether it’s actual health and fitness or just life in general.
Thank you for an amazing interview! I have had a really fun time getting to know these girls! Keep up the amazing work! Everyone please go check out Something Good Merch on instagram and purchase their products here! If you go and follow them, tell that the Broadway Babes blog sent you! Thanks again Amanda and Ashley!
Until next time,
Marisa
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