Business Spotlight: Bling by KishaNicole

Ta’Kisha Moore, mother of five, has a degree in criminal justice and sociology from Georgia State. Once she graduated, however, she found that she had a passion and gift for designing shoes and accessories. 

It all started when she went over to a friend’s house to play a game of Keno. Her friends all had cute little boxes to keep their change in, so Moore ran over to Joann Fabric’s to pick up a little wooden box and some paints. What she ended up creating was so cute, all her friends wanted one.

Bling by KishaNicole was born. 

From boxes, she went on to add glitter, studs, precious stones, you name it, to anything that could be made just a little more dazzling. Then, when her husband bought her a pair of cute, but boring, shoes, she found her craft soulmate.

“I like to stand out, that’s just who I am,” said Moore.

Moore went out and bought some glitter and other decorations and realized that shoes were her real passion.  She has been doing it full-time for almost two years now.

Having a home business is difficult, particularly with five kids thrown into the mix. She homeschools her oldest son, 17, and the youngest child, at age three, is still home with her.  The others are 15, 11 and 8.

So how does she find the balance?

“I don’t think about it, truthfully,” she laughed. “I just get up and do it!”

Her husband, Janeiro, is a truck driver and has a crazy schedule, but together they make it work. Originally from New York, she and her family moved to Snellville in 2006.  She was a student and stay-at-home mom before she launched her design company.

“Going to school was something I always wanted to do,” she said. “You have that list of things you always want to accomplish, and I needed to be able to show my kids that even with a family, you can complete your education.”

Her ambition and drive have had a definite impact on her children. One of her daughters was just nominated for the student leadership team at her school. Chef Hank Reid is mentoring one of her sons, and they are all on various sports teams at which they do very well. 

She gets up around 7 a.m. to make sure her kids get up and off to school, then feeds the littlest one breakfast. Every morning, she makes sure to read her Bible in order to clear her head, and then heads into her workshop to design her latest pair of shoes.

The cost for her one-of-a-kind, designer shoes depend on what type of embellishments you add. It starts at $75 for an all-glitter shoe, and the prices go up from there depending on whether you add precious stones, studs or a special design. She works on an average of three pairs of shoes per week.

“I really, really love my job,” she said, “and can’t see myself doing anything else. I’m thankful to God to be able to do something I love.”

Moore will offer a rhinestone and glitter hobby class at the Centerville Community Center in the fall. For more information, including cost, visit their website.