Sixth & Co., LLC
Huntington Beach, California
Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do:
Bama: Sixth and Co., LLC
Bama is a visionary, artist, designer and co-creator of Sixth & Co., a repurposed blanket-in-a-bag company that encourages folks to Wake Up and Play Outside – the tagline of her business. Born out of the idea to make travel easier, or trips between the beach and skatepark more cozy for the outdoor enthusiast, Bama began sewing her brightly colored Mexican blankets in the corner of her son’s bedroom. Now selling at art shows and online, the mama hustle is in full swing. Everyone wants a bag and knows someone who needs a bag –the bag that unrolls into a full size blanket or the blanket that rolls up to a bag- the versatility of the blanket bag allows you to carry a picnic lunch, a 6-pack of your favorite craft brew, a bottle of wine or growler of your local kombucha. The colors are universally appealing and don’t show wear and tear easily. Every blanket bag has a reversible zipper and comes with a detachable, water-resistant bag that is the perfect size for travel accessories – keys, phone, lip balm, weed, sunscreen, etc. Bama’s entrepreneurial spirit has led her to develop numerous successful businesses, and expand the offerings of Sixth & Co. to include fanny packs, yoga straps, tote bags, purses, zippered clutches, keychain bags and refreshed blanket-lined vintage jackets. Wake up and play outside!
Let us know more about your business name - how did you come up with it?
My son, Waylon, is our biggest fan and best helper and he and Amanda my bff & co-owner of Sixth & Co and I share the same birthday: July 6th (the respective years are none of your business) so we came up with the name Sixth & Co.
What is your signature style / item? How did it become so?
We believe that you should WAKE UP & PLAY OUTSIDE... so why not have an item that has a couple of functions along with looking super cool.. Like our blanket bags, we repurpose blankets into our
rad blanket bags. Our bag unrolls into a blanket or our blanket rolls up into a bag. There’s a reversible zipper so you can throw your stuff back in when its open as a blanket, like, did someone say pillow? it also comes with a small detachable water resistant bag that’s big enough for your keys, cell phone, etc... We also make purses, clutches, coin purses, and pillows. Lately we’ve been refreshing vintage military jackets with personalized sayings & super fresh blanket linings.
What makes your business unique to the industry?
We make the rad goods for all your outdoor travels.. No one does it like we do.
What's been your biggest roadblock when it comes to business and how have you been able to overcome?
As with any small business, we’ve encountered challenges. How do you even start a new business? We just held our breath and dove right in. We’ve done extremely well for relying solely on word of mouth and social media advertising. I’m incredibly proud of the results of our hard work and determination. These days our challenges are keeping up with demand and also increasing exposure. I was really focused on expanding my business this year. We have this really cool & functional item that we feel like everyone needs, we want to get it to them.
How has your business had to adapt amidst the Covid- 19 Pandemic? What are you doing to navigate the situation?
Well this was the year I was really focused on expanding our business & taking that next step, bigger shows more exposure etc. When the pandemic started I really needed to take a deep breathe & re adjust my thinking. Remind myself that I'm not doomed, I'm not going out of business, I will not fail...it's just a pause. I'm taking this time re-working my website (which is not my strong suit) working on some new things that I'm excited about (stay tuned) This pivot has been difficult for me but I'm confident that I'll figure it out.
What is your favorite part of what you do?
I love seeing the excitement on my customers face. It's the best feeling when someone loves something that you've made, & they become repeat customers.
What is your *must do* local activity?
Come find us at the beach, or paddle boarding, or fishing, or on a bike ride, skateboarding, BBQing with our friends.
Where to find Sixth and Co:
Website: http://www.sixthandco.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sixthco/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sixthandco