May 16, 2017

Meet Romance Anastasa of Queendom by Romance in South Side

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Romance Anastasa.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Romance. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I actually grew up in the very neighborhood that I started my business in. If you’re from this area you know that it’s often times referred to as “The Low-end”, I just like to call it Bronzeville. I feel like I was immediately labeled as a “statistic” because I was raised in this environment. Hearing sirens, witnessing crime and violence was an everyday thing for us. It was a part of our world. I remember teachers telling me that I wasn’t going to be anything (who will remain anonymous lol) I remember being told that “I was just gonna end up with multiple children and multiple ‘baby daddies’ on welfare”. For a child to hear that there’s multiple things that you can take out of it. I took it as a challenge. I was always the black sheep of my family. I never really talked much. I preferred to read books and stay inside. I always felt different and I always had this constant yearning for better. Deep down inside I always felt that whatever I did wasn’t good enough and quickly sought out ways to be or do better. My Great-Grandmother used to tell me “you never stand still long enough for dust to settle on your shoes” lol whatever that means.

I got married extremely young to my high school sweetheart (cue the violins) he was in the military at the time stationed in San Diego, California. So when most kids were having trunk parties and preparing to go off to College, I had scrapped all of my college acceptance letters, packed my belongings and went to be with my husband. About a year later I got pregnant with my amazing son!! — He is truly my entire life. And immediately after that my entire marriage began to unravel. Without going into detail, I will say that the entire experience broke me completely. I know that this is personal but for the sake of testimony I will share. It broke me completely. I remember returning home to my adolescent bedroom with a baby that my family didn’t think I was ready to have, after being put out in the street by a man that my family told me that I shouldn’t marry. I was completely lost. I’d lost an enormous amount of weight from a frame that was already small, I was seeing a Psychiatrist and a Therapist, I was on anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication…. you name it, I probably had it. I felt like my life had completely fallen apart.

Very quickly after returning to Chicago and being loved on by all of my family and close friends, I decided “enough is enough”. I quickly found a job at a local hospital and put my nursing license to use. I loved it. Things were finally looking up for me. This is when that “constant yearning” to do better that I noticed I had as a child kicked into overdrive. I worked as a floor nurse for a little over a year before being recruited to work in Healthcare Sales & Marketing as an Admissions Coordinator. I held that position for a little under a year before being promoted to Lead Admissions Coordinator. After having that position for about a year I went to another company as Director of Sales & Marketing, I then went on to become Regional Director of Business Development and from there I found myself as Vice President of Business Development overseeing 13 healthcare facilities. At the time I was only 27 years old. It was nobody but God.

I discovered my love for intimates during a brief employment at Macy’s in California as a Lingerie Specialist and that love never faded. Neither did the constant yearning to do more or to do better. I had already began working on business plans at the age of 23. It was edited more than a dozen times since then and when the opportunity presented itself I went for it. Over the years I always loved the location of Queendom. I remember saying numerous times before that “If I can get that space I’m doing it”! One day as I was driving down the street I noticed the “For Lease” sign in the window and I literally stopped traffic to run over and get the number. I met with the property owner and the rest is history. And that was nobody but God as well.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Oh jeesh…. In no way shape or form has it been smooth. In fact, it has been one of the bumpiest, exhausting, unbelievable roller coaster rides that I’ve ever been on! No one can adequately prepare you for this. As a young, black, female business owner I was told all the time how extremely hard it is. I was told that most small business don’t make it 2 years. I was told that you probably won’t make any money your first few years. I was told that you would work from sun up to sun down. So in a lot of ways I was sort of prepared for all of that. What I wasn’t prepared for is the lack of support. Not just a lack of support from the community or fellow business owners or even support from your Alderman. I was completely unprepared and oblivious of the fact that I would lack support from my family and those that I thought were my close friends. That part was devastating.

Going into this I really expected an “all hands on deck” mentality from my close friends and family. This was totally not the case. I have family and friends that never stepped foot in my store. The way that I deal with that is by knowing that everyone has their own dreams, goals and aspirations. I honestly believe that the lack of support has nothing to do with their love for me and everything to do with the fact that they have their own lives. However, that has been the hardest thing for me.

Another thing that’s been hard for me is the lack of access to capital. I’ve always heard about the amazing resources in the form of grants or loans that the City has available to small business owners and I’ve never been successful in securing funding. Queendom has functioned completely on my personal income.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Queendom by Romance – what should we know?
Queendom is a Lingerie and Intimate Apparel store (including swimwear). We carry a variety of brands from Rene Rofe and Seven till Midnight to higher end brands such as Cosabella, Huit 8 and Affinitas. We specialize in providing quality brands at a very reasonable price and we even provide complimentary measuring to whoever needs it whether they purchase from us or not. However, Queendom’s philosophy is much bigger than just intimates. We work hard to provide a positive outlet for women. I also feel as if I’m responsible for helping women to feel empowered, loved and beautiful. From day 1 it was important to me to bring the community in for events, workshops or even just to relax. Chicago doesn’t have the most positive image right now since we’re “plagued” with gun violence and it’s plastered over every news outlet as if that’s the only thing we’re good for. I know first-hand that many adults are simply overwhelmed and a lot of the children here just simply have nothing to do. We’ve hosted Health and Fitness classes, Business workshops, Open mics and more! For the 87th annual Budbiliken parade, my staff and a few volunteers walked the entire parade and handed out gold foil crowns. I wanted that to be a visual cue/reminder to everyone that we are all Kings and Queens despite what anyone else may believe. We also began to host Etiquette Classes for children ages 6-15years old. All of this has grown tremendously and prompted me to start a nonprofit organization called Queendom University. At Queendom U we will continue to provide the same activities, classes and workshops but in a more neutral atmosphere appropriate for both adults and children. I didn’t start this business just for money. There was always a bigger agenda and that is what I am most proud of. I also believe that this is what sets us apart from others.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am actually tearing up immediately after being asked this question. I am so happy that you asked. As I said earlier in the interview, support is extremely important. I do lack support in some areas but what I lack in them is completely made up in my current team of support. I have people that I barely even knew support me 100%. Whether it’s via referral or simply a share on Facebook, it is amazing and I am completely blessed. Doing this is so hard and you want to quit at least 10 times a day but I am constantly cheered on and reminded not to give up and I am EXTREMELY grateful for them. My mom aka “Mom-ager” is also one of my biggest support system. She has been with me every last step of the way. My son is seriously my Sun, my world and the air I breathe. Everything that I do, I do it for him. He is by far my biggest advocate and probably deserves all of the credit.

My Mentor, Mr. Hayward Smith is the property owner where my storefront is located, Mr. Smith is a staple in this community being that he is one of the longest standing black business owners in Bronzeville, even though he was very private and kept to himself. He owned and operated “Howard’s Laundromat” starting in the 70’s. Howard’s is seen in multiple publications and history pictures about Bronzeville to this day. He was one of the most hardworking men I ever knew. God put him in my life and I have no idea where Queendom would be without him. He was the man that I called when I saw that “For Lease” sign in the window. He told me “I’m taking the sign out of the window because it’s yours”. He was also a man that I grew up knowing as the “man that fusses at me in the laundromat”.

Mr. Smith called me all the time, he taught me a lot about business and a lot of times when I was ready to give up he convinced me not to. He told me that I reminded him of himself. He gave me numerous pep talks, he helped me when I felt that nobody else would and he constantly reminded me that I have what it takes to be successful. Mr. Smith left this world January 27th 2017 not long after his 82nd birthday and it was one of the hardest deaths I ever experienced. Often times we take advantage of things because we never expect them to go away. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him and I would love to dedicate this entire interview to him and his legacy.

Contact Info: