Find the finer things in life at Chapman senior’s shop
Senior screenwriting major Sara Shohoud, owner of online shop Finer Finds, talks about developing her fandom oriented brand and staying relevant within her niche. Photos courtesy of Sara Shohoud. Photo collage by EMILY PARIS, Photo Editor
What started out as developing a shop at 12-years-old that featured bows, shirts and variously-designed scrunchies turned into senior screenwriting major Sara Shohoud’s passion project and possible career for her entire life. All she had to do was embrace her taste in music.
“I got bullied a lot when I was younger for liking One Direction, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and all those people, but I would always know (I) was in a safe space when I saw someone wearing a Justin Bieber shirt,” Shohoud told The Panther. “I figured I would help other people find comfort, so if they see a shirt that I designed, they're like, ‘That person likes Taylor Swift. I know we can talk about Taylor Swift, and I won't get made fun of.’ I want to contribute to people being able to be themselves more.”
“I got bullied a lot when I was younger for liking One Direction, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and all those people, but I would always know (I) was in a safe space when I saw someone wearing a Justin Bieber shirt. I figured I would help other people find comfort, so if they see a shirt that I designed, they’re like, ‘That person likes Taylor Swift. I know we can talk about Taylor Swift, and I won’t get made fun of.’ I want to contribute to people being able to be themselves more.”
During her senior year of high school when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Finer Finds, Shohoud’s online shop, found its first consistent wave of success. Without much else to focus on besides her shop, Shohoud poured her heart into developing from solely scrunchies to other apparel and accessories, while also designing them to match different fandom aesthetics ranging from Marvel to Taylor Swift.
“I finally started gaining an audience when I started being myself,” Shohoud said. “(I) stopped trying to be more business savvy and more professional. That's when I started really getting growth, because I could connect with my audience, and I could connect with my customers. They can see themselves in me because I'm just a little fangirl behind her phone screen, just like they are.”
“I finally started gaining an audience when I started being myself. (I) stopped trying to be more business savvy and more professional. That’s when I started really getting growth because I could connect with my audience, and I could connect with my customers.”
Shohoud’s TikTok account has garnered almost 36k followers, and her Instagram has just over 15k. While her shop may be online, her fans aren’t just supporting Shohoud through a screen. Occasionally, she will sell some apparel outside of concert venues and include a QR code of her online storefront in Taylor Swift friendship bracelets.
“I love getting recognized; I feel like such a celebrity,” Shohoud said. “I usually only get recognized at fan events, like concerts. They'll be like, ‘Oh my god, are you Finer Finds?’ It means a lot that people care enough about the stuff that I create to come up and tell me that.”
Despite the success that she has achieved, Shohoud told The Panther it hasn’t always been so easy. She has faced her fair share of road blocks on the journey to where she is now, with one of the biggest difficulties landing right after the holiday season.
“I didn't realize that there was such a slump in shopping after Christmas,” Shohoud said. “So during my first January since opening my shop, I was so bummed out. I was so unmotivated, and I just had to get over that hump. And then there’s the hate comments. I'm not gonna lie, it hurts my feelings, but I can't avoid it and I can't clap back. So I just have to have thick skin and move on.”
“I didn’t realize that there was such a slump in shopping after Christmas. So during my first January since opening my shop, I was so bummed out. I was so unmotivated, and I just had to get over that hump. And then there’s the hate comments. I’m not gonna lie, it hurts my feelings, but I can’t avoid it and I can’t clap back. So I just have to have thick skin and move on.”
Shohoud’s roommate and close friend, senior graphic design major Saniya Revankar, took on the role of her assistant this past summer. By combining their shared love for design and fandoms, the dynamic duo were able to work harmoniously together to propel the shop while school wasn’t in session.
“She's a really easy person when working (together), like communicating and asking questions and coming up with ideas,” Revankar told The Panther. “It's always so much fun to design with her, talk to her and everything. There's no issue with being open (about) feedback for designs, like we both just want to make (the shop) better.”
“She’s a really easy person when working (together), like communicating and asking questions and coming up with ideas. It’s always so much fun to design with her, talk to her and everything. There’s no issue with being open (about) feedback for designs, like we both just want to make (the shop) better.”
Even though her entrepreneurial roots date back to age 12, Shohoud has learned a lesson or two from classes at Chapman that have aided in her understanding of how to properly market her brand.
“I took a marketing intro class my sophomore year, and it helped a lot,” Shohoud said. “I felt like I kind of knew some of the stuff because of experience that I had to learn from trial and error. But I learned a lot of good (information). For example, on a website, the first thing that customers should see is your best selling products, not your newest product. I had no idea, and I changed it, and I got way more orders.”
With almost ten years of experience under her belt, Shohoud offered a couple pieces of advice to students who may be looking to start their own business.
“You can't just say, ‘I'm selling Harry Styles related shirts,’ because guess what, everyone else is,” Shohoud said. “What makes you special? Why should we support your shirts over (someone else’s) shirts? That's number one. Number two is you have to find your niche. Find the consumers within that niche and establish your place in their community. Make a household name for yourself. That means interacting on their posts, looking at content under the (relevant) hashtags. It's so important to keep going. Because if you feel that immense pressure on you, and like everything's caving in, that just means you're succeeding. It's getting harder because it's getting better.”
Shohoud recently dropped a 1989 (Taylor’s Version) collection. Check out the Finer Finds Instagram or website to learn more. Additionally, Finer Finds will be attending a pop-up shop in LA on Oct. 29. Click this link to find out more.
“It’s so important to keep going. Because if you feel that immense pressure on you, and like everything’s caving in, that just means you’re succeeding. It’s getting harder because it’s getting better.”
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Finer Finds would attend a pop-up shop in L.A. on Oct. 26. The shop is actually happening on Oct. 29. We regret the error.
