Turning Lemons into Lemonade with Isis Asare, Owner of Sistah Scifi

Read on to learn what Asare has been up to and how Sistah Scifi is celebrating Black Business Month this year. And if you haven’t already, sign up for the Facebook Elevate #BuyBlack Summit, taking place Aug. 24, 2021.

What's new over the past year?

Since last year, Sistah Scifi was accepted into the SistahBiz Retail Accelerator and got grants to cover marketing and moving to a co-warehousing space from the Oakland Black Business Fund. We also secured our first wholesale account with the Museum of Popular Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle to make our Sistah Scifi Author List Shirt (AKA the Queens of Afrofuturism shirt) more conveniently available. We will pursue more wholesale accounts with museums across the country.

What have you learned?

There is an amazing community that is so excited that Sistah Scifi exists, and rooting for our success! I appreciate Facebook and Instagram for creating tools to help me connect the Sistah Scifi brand to that community. I am slowly getting used to shooting Instagram Lives, I love my Facebook and Instagram shop, and I am an early adopter of Facebook Pay.

Looking ahead, how do you plan to incorporate some of the things you’ve taken away from the past year into your planning for the future?

We will develop hybrid events offers in the future. We are also excited about launching a national omnichannel network of automated vending kiosks located in Black-owned coffee shops around the country.

How are you celebrating Black Business Month?

As we safely reopen, we will invite customers to our offices Saturday mornings in August to meet us in person, buy books and celebrate Black Business Month. We will also be wrapping up our Crash Course: Candyman series. It is a series of watch parties, reading groups and discussions to give movie lovers more historical and cultural context before the release of Candyman (2021) on August 27th. In addition, the Sistah Scifi Graphic Novel Club will discuss Wake: The Hidden History of Women-led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall.

How have you been making lemonade lately?

I love this question! Our strategy to focus on museum and library gift shops is a prime example of making lemonade. It was a result of the "lemons” and realizing that Sistah Scifi did not have the infrastructure or funds to support the timeline and requirements for entering a big box retailer such as Sears or JC Penny. However, working with museum, gallery and library gift shops is more aligned with our overall brand, our operational infrastructure, our margins, and cash flow.

Lastly, what are you reading right now?

I am reading Queen of the Conquered Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender.

If Asare’s story inspired you, let us introduce you to Ashley Rouse, Founder of Trade Street Jam Co. Stay tuned for more small business spotlights celebrating Black Business August in the coming weeks on Facebook for Business News Facebook for Business News.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.