Plucky, sparky, smarties.  It’s kind of the defining characteristic of some of the small business and self-starters that capture our heart.  We want you to meet one of our favorites, Allison Barta Bailey. Why? Well, the smarty plucky part, yeah. But mostly, we just love uncovering and shaping brands for people who know their niche and aren’t afraid to stick to it.

Allison works exclusively with local retail shops and districts. She’s a creative professional who is all about the element of independence. Oh, and Allison has opinions. So when defining Allison Barta Bailey’s signature mark, literally came down to capturing her very own signature, were we surprised? She may have been. But when we tried to act casual asking her to sign her name with one of my always handy Sharpies on a page spontaneously ripped out of Kathleen’s notebook (you know, like a handwriting audition), we knew it it was going to be the defining element of her new brand.

Allison is an expert on these local shop districts, about the community they should foster, and what real estate developers should be doing to make them come alive and thrive. And when it comes down to the individual shop owner, her opinions only get even more laser focused. She wants them to stop looking at the economy, stop looking at the competition and remember what makes them unique – their niche. Yes, a girl after our own heart, we told you.

So she helps these shop owners stop looking over their shoulder or getting distracted by the daily duties that are spreading them thin, so they can instead cultivate (and stick to) their shop philosophy.  

Shop philosophy! That really struck a chord with us when it came up in our Braid Method findings with Allison.  And she’d only been using it in casual conversation, if at all, with clients and clients-to-be in the past. We were about to change that. We also drew inspiration from her love of the mercantile spirit, of main streets and modern pops of color, and her strong beliefs that a shop owner’s gotta know themselves and make their mark.  

Fun side note, we proposed Allison change out her signature logo to the Pantone Color of The Year when it’s announced each year. This year it’s Pantone 17-1463 Tangerine Tango.


We’ve since helped her uncover her own small business philosophy, including a new logo and brand story that she could adapt to her sales materials, website and personal brand.  And like a true signature – she’s stickin’ to it.

So, tell us. What's your niche?