My Internship at Fab’rik Athens
In the summer of 2024, I had the privilege to intern at Fab’rik in downtown Athens, Ga. I was a social media intern as well as a part-time stylist. I absolutely love working for this company and what it has taught me about the fashion world. I will continue working there in the fall as a part time stylist and social media manager. Here are just a few pieces from this special opportunity!
Here is the link to the journal entries I wrote as well :)
Words from my boss…
“Savanna is a great addition to our team! She is hardworking, dependable, and a quick learner. She is organized and detail-oriented, paying close attention to our corporate sales and promos to create and schedule social content accordingly. Savanna is a team player and is adored by the rest of our team.”
-Melissa Ripley, owner of fab’rik Athens
A typical workday…
At Fab’rik, I began learning how to operate their social media platforms and their POS system. I enjoyed learning the basics and how to stay on top of things. Working at the store was never too hectic, but I definitely stayed busy. A normal day at the boutique started with me arriving at the store. I usually worked in the afternoons, so I mainly just got to walk in, set my stuff in the back, and clock in and check our daily to-do list (what we called the pre-party list). If we have new inventory, I started by unboxing for the receiving process. I hung, steamed, and printed labels before they went out on the floor. Next, I tried to take a lot of pictures and/or make a reel for our socials. I used different accessories and whoever was working with me to model. I had a lot of fun doing the socials and it was a great way to be creative in the workspace. Of course, we had shoppers come in which involved greeting and asking if they were looking for anything specific. I enjoyed talking to customers and getting a feel for their personal style. Then, if they find something they love, I rang them up at the counter. At closing we completed our daily closing routine that involved submitting a daily status form, updating our personal sales as well as the store’s sales for the day, filling out a spreadsheet, and reorganizing before locking up the store. So generally, I welcomed and checked out shoppers, created social content, and processed new inventory. Really just anything on our pre-party list like dusting, changing mannequin outfits, restocking items, etc. I liked performing the daily tasks and especially viewing the items before the customers did. A typical workday always welcomed new things to learn and even better clothing to try on.
Here is our Instagram to see what we have been up to!
Best and Worst Experiences
One of the best experiences I had was creating content for our Game Day collection. It was so much fun taking pictures on UGA’s historic north campus and downtown Athens. The shoot came out fantastic and I was able to make a few great reels, too. I love the concept of game day wear and how popular it has become in the south, so it was an exciting opportunity to dress up in red and black Bulldawg style.
As for as worst experiences, I do not think I had any notable ones. Maybe working almost every weekend during the summer instead of just during the week, but hey I was an intern! I may have missed a couple lake days, but I totally understood. Besides, I think I got the best out of my internship by working when it was busiest and when I could actually learn from exposure.
Take a peek at our Game Day lookbook!
I do not need to be scared to take initiative. I need to just be myself and not copy what everyone else is doing at work. I am dedicated to giving customers the best experience, while also remaining genuine. I will not let failure hinder me from being confident in the path God has set for me. Overall, I need to give myself more credit without becoming complacent.
It is okay to start a new position and make mistakes along the way. I know successful individuals like Dolly Parton and Vivienne Westwood (very different I know) had to start at the bottom and truly learn about their craft and how to be the best at it. Therefore, I will put forth my best effort in mastering the store’s operations and social media management, while attaining full confidence in myself and my skill set.
I do not have to be a perfectionist. It is ok to find out what works and what doesn’t. I am going to make mistakes in both social media posting and in-store operations. I cannot look so closely at what others stores are doing because I will lose sight of our personal image and mission statement. As long as I am giving 100% effort and learning from my failures, I am on the right track. No one is perfect, especially when they first begin.
Have fun with whatever work I am doing. I know my lessons all come from the same idea of not being a perfectionist, but each one has played a key part in how I have dealt with perfectionism at work. Of course, I want to make sure I am doing my job correctly, but I do not need to take everything too seriously. This industry is something that I am passionate about, so I want to channel all of that into my work without it causing me too much stress. I think our best work is produced when we are not so focused on if it is perfect or not. I have to take the pressure off of myself sometimes and just do what I love and how I know to do it.