Q: What made you want to start your own business, and why did you choose this type of business?
A: Growing up, I saw a lot of creativity. My dad (Penrose Fulwilder) is an artist; I’ve seen him create a lot of artwork and sell it. That was a big key. I was more a graphic designer. That’s how I got into this area of producing, clothing, fashion and stuff like that. My friend Ryan already had clothing stores, but he needed help with the technology side of it. I was really savvy with the technology side of it, and we became partners. Our friendship and partnership got stronger, and we have a good balance with each other.
Rez Rich Clothing was part of a marketing stunt that I’m doing for that brand. I had two or three clothing brands that I started in the past that didn’t do well; I told myself that when the last one didn’t do so well, I wouldn’t do clothes again. So, it’s funny that I ended up doing Rez Rich Clothing. I did it to reach the Native target audience. The word “Rez” has a negative association. I wanted to flip that, because there are a lot of things that are not material that you could be rich in, a lot of it is mentality. I wanted to put that in a brand and put that message out there because I want to attract those type of people. The whole idea of Rez Rich Clothing is to get people’s attention on what I am about to do next.
Q: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your business?
A: The COVID-19 quarantine was pretty crazy; the whole mall (Arizona Mills) shut down, so Guest List and Guest List Kids were shut down. The Print Shop wasn’t open at the time, but the two stores took a big hit. We ended up getting threats for looting. People would message us on Instagram warning us about people taking things from the store and trying to sell them. We ended up taking everything out of the stores while the mall was closed, so we had empty stores for a couple of months. We ended up having our online store, so that was doing good for us while the main store was shut down.
For Rez Rich Clothing it was bad because Rez Rich Clothing is a drop-shipping company. I only print one of the styles of shirts; a company from North Carolina prints all the rest of them and ships them for me, and I just collect a portion of the profit. I would just market the product and someone buys it and another company produces it and prints it; that’s what drop-shipping is. When COVID-19 happened, everything stopped completely. My orders got backed up for two months; some customers were understanding and some weren’t. This was one of the reasons why we opened up The Print Shop; now I am finally caught up on all the orders and ready for the next products to go out for Rez Rich Clothing.
The Print Shop was opened up at the Arizona Mills Mall to help us produce our own clothing and not leave it in other people’s hands. If a situation such as COVID-19 happens again, we are able to produce our own products.
Q: To what do you attribute your success?
A: I feel that where I am today is just a starting point for where I want to go. I got here by being of service to people, trying to make their lives easier and better through my strengths. I was really good at e-commerce and marketing, and I went to someone who needed help in those departments and helped change their business dramatically. That is how I built a name for myself, going out and helping different people, and in turn I started building a better relationship with people. Being around good people and being mission-driven is how I got here.
Q: What are your company’s goals?
A: With Guest List and Guest List Kids, we definitely want to keep people in the loop in fashion and keep growing with the newest and hottest trends. We just keep trying to keep our customers happy. If they love how they feel when they are out and about wearing our clothing, that says a lot and we’ll continue to do well.
With Rez Rich Clothing, I’m going to turn that company into another idea that I’ve been working toward for about five years. Everything I have been doing is like the foundation of the next thing I am about to do. I am excited for the next part of my life and what it’s going to turn into as I continue to work.
Q: What is unique about your business?
A: For Guest List, we have a large variety of rare, hard-to-find shoes. People call us the hidden gem in the desert because they come into Arizona Mills Mall not expecting much, and they come into our store and are blown away by all the rare and exclusive things our store has to offer. We have one of the biggest shoe collections in Arizona. We’re exclusive and different and treat our customers very well so they always come back.
Rez Rich Clothing has a traditional but urban style. I like to show my Native side; it has a Native vibe to it.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to someone just starting out in business, what would that be?
A: Whatever kind of business you want to start, chances are that someone out there already has done the same thing or something similar, so study the best in your industry. If it’s a clothing store, look at the 10 best clothing stores in the world, learn from them and add your style to it. The second thing is love what you do. Love waking up and going to work and be happy, because a lot of people don’t get to work toward their dreams. If you are working toward your dreams, you are already winning.
Part Owner & Chief Operation Officer, Daryl Fulwilder
The Print Shop, Guest List, Guest List Kids & Rez Rich Clothing
Address: 5000 S. Arizona Mills Cir., Tempe, AZ 85282 (The Print Shop, Guest List and Guest List Kids)
Phone: The Print Shop, Guest List/Guest List Kids (623) 414-2295
Social Media: Facebook at Guestlistazmills, GuestListKids and rezrichclothing; Instagram @guestlistazmills, @guestlistkids and @rezrichclothing
Website: guestlistaz.com, guestlistkids.com, rezrich.com
Services: Urban streetwear fashion apparel and rare, hard-to-find shoes. The Guest List also sells clothing brands such as Billionaire Boys Club, Ice Cream, Paper Plane, Cookies SF and more. Rez Rich Clothing offers youth and adult T-shirts, hats and stickers.
