Community Highlights: Meet Alissa Taylor of Donai Fabrics

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alissa Taylor.

Hi Alissa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I have always loved fashion and exploring my creativity. I began sewing when I was about 12 years old and my dreams of being a designer expanded from there. I went to Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri and I had every intention of becoming a custom bridal designer after graduation, which I am still pursuing, but when I started to consider my design process, I hated the thought of having to order my materials online. Ordering swatches and finding the right fabric is a timely and expensive process that I just didn’t want to do, so that’s when the idea for Donai Fabrics was born. I have been building this business plan for about two years, and the first time I was preparing to launch the pandemic hit, so it caused me to pivot and find a new way to launch my business in a way that didn’t require a brick-and-mortar right away. I truly believe God gave me the rest of the vision from there. I never would have considered a traveling/pop-up business model for a fabric store, but as the vision continues to expand and come together, it just makes sense.

I was born and raised in Kansas City, so I have an extreme amount of pride in the place that formed me into the woman I am. With that came an extreme passion to see the city do well. Donai Fabrics allows me to combine my passion for my hometown, creativity, and business together. Not only am I able to provide for myself as a designer, but for all the creatives around me. There is a crazy amount of talent in this city, and I’m tired of us being overlooked. My hope is that by supplying the fabrics and notions we need, as well as uniting the creative community, KC’s creative community will be able to create without boundaries and limitations, so the community as a whole can flourish and we can put KC fashion and creativity back on the map.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This question makes me laugh because there was nothing smooth about the process of developing this business plan. I have started and stopped so many times. And it doesn’t help that I’m a perfectionist, so that was probably the biggest struggle. I spent so much time in the ideation and research stage that it took me forever to actually take the jump and actually start. As I mentioned before, attempting to start a business at the beginning of the pandemic was also a challenge. At that time everyone was so scared to be around each other that opening a physical location just didn’t make sense. But once I finally got my idea settled and together, the struggle was finding funding. This isn’t like a tech start-up that people are jumping at the chance to invest in. A lot of business professionals I talked to actually told me my idea wasn’t sustainable and that I might want to pivot to doing something else but thank God that the value of things isn’t determined by others’ inability to see its worth. When starting a business, or going after any goal really, you really have to lean on your discernment to be able to understand that sometimes the people who say, “I’m just being honest” or “I’m being realistic” are just people with the audacity and boldness to not help you, but discourage you from doing something that could very well have the potential to be great, and I know that’s what I had, a great idea.

Though I had some bumps in the road, I really wouldn’t change my journey to launching Donai Fabrics at all. I have learned and grown so much, both as an individual and a businesswoman. I’ve also been able to identify who is truly a part of my tribe. Confidence in myself and my community was really what led me to take the jump. Not everyone who says, “I’m proud of you” is really invested in seeing you win, and I am blessed and thankful for the realization of the people that are.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Donai Fabrics?
Donai Fabrics is KCs premier traveling fabric store.We provide designer and fashion fabrics for the unique creator. We’re different in that not only are we the only fabric store in KC (all designers know JoAnn barely counts), but we come to you with the products you need. You can shop at our pop ups we have at various locations around the city or set an in-person appointment where we come to you. We also differ in that we focus on the newer generation of designers, a group that can often be overlooked. We also have a unique passion for the creative community and are soon looking to host community events that will allow us to meet, mingle, and unite to strengthen and grow as a collective.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I would consider myself to be risk averse, but with starting a business there is so much uncertainty that risk is nearly unavoidable. I mentioned before that I have a tendency to lean towards perfectionism, so for me, that meant making sure the plan was written out perfectly and checking all the boxes, but one thing I had to learn with launching Donai Fabrics is that you can cross your t’s and dot your i’s all you want, but that does not prevent something from going wrong. I’ve learned to think quickly and to be prepared with a plan b at all times.

Launching a business that relies on the support of customers in itself is a huge risk, especially in a city not known for fashion, but that just shows how much I believe in the talent in this city. No outcome worth reaching comes without risk and struggle. The challenge is what makes the process gratifying and worth it. It’s also the only way to learn in business. You learn how to overcome and avoid risk by reflecting on what you did wrong or what you would do differently. So, while perfectionism can be a helpful trait at times, to me, it has no place in business. The beauty of things is not in their perfection but in the process of their creation.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donaifabrics/  https://www.instagram.com/designsbydonai/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donaifabrics    https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088355740676
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonaiFabrics?ref=seller-platform-mcnav 

Image Credits
KennyDidThat Photography