Because of the Trust: Shanti Mayers on Creativity, Community, and Building Beyond SurvivalQA News Post

For the second episode of Because of the Trust, we sat down with Shanti Mayers, founder of The Sable Collective and a 2025 Moving Mountains grant recipient, to talk about entrepreneurship, creativity, and what it means to build with intention.

Founded in 2016, The Sable Collective began as a brick-and-mortar boutique before evolving into an online retail experience during the pandemic. Today, the brand offers intentionally sourced clothing, jewelry, and home goods created by Black, Brown, and women makers, while encouraging customers to explore style as a form of self-expression and self-regard.

“I want to help people realize that style is how you communicate with yourself and with the world.”

For Shanti, The Sable Collective was born from a gap she experienced firsthand.

While visiting boutiques and thrift stores, she often found herself inspired by the uniqueness of the products, but disconnected from the cultural references behind them.

“The cultural references didn’t reflect my culture.”

As social media began opening doors to independent Black creators, designers, and makers, Shanti saw an opportunity to create something different: a space where people could physically engage with products and stories rooted in community and culture.

“The idea was to bring all of those businesses into one place where you could touch, smell, try on these incredible products.”

But like many entrepreneurs, growth came with challenges.

Before receiving support from the Trust, Shanti described operating in “survival mode”, focused on making payroll, keeping inventory moving, and trying to sustain the business day to day.

She knew she needed marketing and advertising support to grow her audience online, but lacked the resources to invest in those systems.

“When you’re in survival mode, your possibilities become very narrow.”

Receiving the Moving Mountains grant helped shift both her strategy and mindset.

“Because of the Trust, it’s helped me understand how to build systems that help with growing and scaling.”

With support from the grant, Shanti has been able to invest in digital marketing, improve customer retention strategies, and build a stronger infrastructure around her business.

More importantly, she says the experience helped her realize that The Sable Collective is about more than retail.

“I don’t want to just be a store. I want to be a brand. I want to build a world.”

A proud Philadelphia native and public school graduate, Shanti’s path to entrepreneurship was far from traditional. Originally pursuing nursing, she found herself reevaluating her future after becoming a young mother.

Instead of choosing what felt safest, she chose what sparked curiosity and excitement.

“I wanted to go toward excitement, toward curiosity.”

That decision ultimately led her toward storytelling, community-building, fashion, and entrepreneurship: values that now sit at the center of The Sable Collective.

Today, her vision continues to grow.

“I want to sell people confidence, creativity, and something deeper than just a material thing.”

Watch the full Because of the Trust episode featuring Shanti Mayers here.