Meet Stacey Naler | Owner of Curated Wears, Wardrobe consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stacey Naler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacey, how do you think about risk?
Risk is terrifying, but 1000% necessary. I would say I’m a relatively risk avoidant person by nature, but you wouldn’t know that by the choices I have made over the last 10 years of my life.

I haven’t always been a small business owner. Both of my degrees are actually in early childhood education, and I taught third grade after graduate school. I also have years and years of experience in women’s retail as a sales associate and sales manager. Anytime you shift gears in your career path, that’s a major risk. I did that a lot in my twenties.

I started my business two and a half years ago. I was late twenties, still working full time at the same time as a teacher. I did that until summer of 2022, and then I also had my daughter that summer.

After having my daughter, I decided to completely restart my wardrobe. As a wardrobe consultant, that was huge. I know my closet edit process obviously better than anyone else. It’s worked for all of my clients, but this was the first time after major career changes and now a body change with pregnancy/postpartum that I was going to do this for myself.

It’s been almost a year and a half, and I’m happier with my business, wardrobe, and personal life than I have ever been. All the risks I’ve taken to get here were necessary. Most not easy but all crucial.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am about 2 and a half years into entrepreneurship. I own Curated Wears, a wardrobe consulting business. My story is a wild one. I stopped teaching full time about a year into entrepreneurship to put full effort into my business, and I became a mom. I have backgrounds in high end women’s retail, art, and education. It’s so interesting how all these little pieces of my 20s have molded together to make my 30s make so much sense.

Getting to where I am today business-wise has taken a lot of bold steps, often before I was ready. Having several friends that are also entrepreneurs and moms and know how to manage the juggling act of both has been beyond helpful. My dad was/is? (unsure if he’s ever actually fully retired or not) a very successful business owner, so I’ve had incredible examples before me of what being your own boss looks like and how to make changes that prioritize your family.

With wardrobe consultation, I do a ton of closet edits, personal shopping, and personal styling for clients (all virtual and online). I work with majority women, but I do have male clients as well. Most of my clients are either around 60 years old or close to my age (30s-40s). Ever since I had my daughter a year and a half ago, I’ve worked a lot with other postpartum moms, which has been a huge honor. That’s such a sensitive and formative season of life, and I’m always thrilled to enter the space of a closet comeback postpartum.

One thing I am beyond excited about is my virtual closet edit course, DIY Closet Edit, launching in January 2024! I’ve been recording modules and putting together all the materials to share my tips and tricks of how to find your style and then how to edit your closet to align your wardrobe with that style to make sense for your day to day. The waitlist is open now, and I’m thrilled to publish it!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A week long stay-cation with your bestie! Talk about every mom’s dream. Gosh, I am so grateful to live in a city that has such amazing spots to go to. I would say definitely some time in the mountains and go to RT Lodge and Dancing Bear. Bonus that the food is truly incredible both places. Hiking is always a must do in Knoxville. I lived in Nashville for a couple years, and one thing I always missed was the mountains. I’m big on brunch, and I would say Oliver Royale or Point B are my favorite brunch spots right now. Of course, I would have to do some shopping on a staycation – in Knoxville you have to go to Est8te or Elle Boutique.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many other female business owners that deserve all the shoutouts for supporting one another and encouraging me in my story. One in particular, Erin Blackwell, was a HUGE catalyst in pushing me out of my comfort zone.

I was visiting Erin for a laser treatment on my face at Aya Med Spa in Buckhead, and Erin was in the process of launching her own business at the time as well (EnlightenU). She was talking about her launch, and I’d just been talking with my mom about my own ideas for a business on our drive to see Erin. I told Erin about these ideas I had for a personal styling/wardrobe consulting business, and she immediately was like “Absolutely, and I’ll be your first client”.

Literally on the drive home from Buckhead that day, I figured out the name, my business model, and designed my logo in the car while my mom was driving. I think it would’ve taken me a lot longer to get out of my “what ifs” if Erin hadn’t immediately had confidence in me and pushed me to start. So a huge shout out and thank you to Erin! Your confidence in me changed my life honestly.

Website: www.curatedwears.com

Instagram: @curatedwears

Facebook: www.facebook.com/curatedwears

Other: Waitlist for DIY Closet Edit: https://auspicious-haze-32092.myflodesk.com/i0nx4qbcuv?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fl.instagram.com%2F

Image Credits
Lauren Ladd Photography