Women in Business: Sustainable and creative

Editor’s note: For our annual Women in Business issue, we invited women in our local business communities to share insights they’ve gained through their work in Western North Carolina. The first three questions were asked prior to Tropical Storm Helene. 

Megan Authement is the owner of Clad, a shop in West Asheville focused on sustainably made clothing designed in both basic staples as well as colorful, whimsical pieces.

Xpress: What was the path that led you to founding your business?

Authement: I started Clad as a place for sustainably minded folks to shop for intentionally made clothing that’ll last many, many years. Most clothing stores focus on fast fashion with items made of polyester that don’t hold up to the test of time. And then the places that do carry clothing from natural fibers tend to carry beige and boxy pieces. I don’t think you should have to sacrifice whimsical patterns, color and structure to dress easier on the environment, so those are the kinds of pieces you can expect to find at Clad from brands like Nooworks and Rita Row, in addition to everyday basics from Jungmaven.

What’s been the strangest aspect of running a business in Asheville? 

The strangest aspect for me is how my business came to be. I used to manage a shop for several years where I opened Clad within as a pop-up shop. Then just a few weeks into opening, I found out the store I managed was closing, therefore losing both my job and the agreed upon rental space for my brand new business. My choices were basically to either close after having just opened or to take over the whole lease and jump in the deep end and hope I find some footing — that’s exactly what I’m doing.

How do you define success and what should every entrepreneur know before launching a business? 

What I want out of success from my business beyond making a comfortable living is to create close relationships with both customers and vendors. I want to know about your new dog or the trip you’re taking and to have a genuine connection rather than just being a financial transaction.

In terms of what anyone should know is that very few things will go as planned. I thought I was starting my business in the least risk possible way and had the rug completely pulled out from under me. You just have to keep going and have a little faith that things will fall into place.

Follow-up question in the aftermath of Helene: How are you doing, and what is the greatest need for local business owners at this moment? 

West Asheville has very little foot traffic right now, and business is extremely slow for this time of year when things typically pick up for retail. Local business owners really need support from the community to make it through, whether it’s those still making an income financially supporting local or folks spreading the word and telling their friends and family near and far where they can shop for the holidays to keep our small businesses going. Many grants require businesses to have been open for at least a year, so I’d also love to see additional grant opportunities for new businesses trying to weather this devastating time.