South LA Business Owner Tashiba Jones-Wilson Gets Loan Ready with VSEDC
An Inclusive Community
Tashiba Jones-Wilson was born and raised in South Los Angeles, and her community is top of mind when it comes to managing her business, Matte Argyle. Matte Argyle is a size-inclusive retail experience, offering women’s and men’s apparel, accessories and beauty products from a revolving roster of emerging brands and makers. Matte Argyle’s mission is to build community through bridging the worlds of fashion and entertainment, often hosting pop-ups and special events in the retail space.
The brick and mortar storefront is located at Runway Playa Vista, an open air shopping center welcoming a diverse array of clientele. With such an expansive space, Jones-Wilson found herself running into a particular challenge. “The challenge is always needing more capital,” Jones-Wilson said. “The space is relatively large. I needed to be able to fill it with enough product to stay in business. The more you can sell, the more you can make.”
VSEDC Assists with Loan Preparation
Jones-Wilson was introduced to VSEDC through the Los Angeles Cleantech Innovator (LACI) and paired with one of our Senior Business and Lending coaches, Terry Gubatan. Gubatan was immediately impressed with Jones-Wilson. “She had patience and determination,” Gubatan said. “She has done everything on her own with Matte Argyle and weathered a lot as a business owner.”
Together, Jones-Wilson and Gubatan navigated the process of loan preparation. The process spanned most of 2022, culminating in a loan approval of $15,000 in October 2022. Of loan preparation, Jones-Wilson said: “It was a lot of work to get the documentation together for the loan, and even frustrating at times, but it forces you to really know your business.”
Throughout the process, Gubatan’s experience in loan readiness coaching was an invaluable resource. Jones-Wilson said, “Vermont Slauson makes sure that you know the cost of doing business and have a good business plan in place. I advise other business owners to make sure you have VSEDC along in your journey.”
Expansion and Events in Matte Argyle’s Future
Tashiba Jones-Wilson is currently seeking more funding to continue to expand Matte Argyle’s inventory and capacity to host events and creatives. According to Gubatan, the next benchmark is an increase in sales over the next 90 days. “From that point,” said Gubatan, “Tashiba can be reviewed for another loan.”
You can learn more about Matte Argyle at their website and on Instagram.
Jones-Wilson is also in the midst of coordinating an event for Black History Month to showcase Black-owned brands at Matte Argyle. Jones-Wilson is eager for the future: “In 2023, look for more new product and emerging brands as we continue to grow and expand.”
If you are an emerging entrepreneur helming a small business, learn more about our Business Coaching services, including loan readiness, here.