Modern Tribe is your one-stop shop for all things hip and Jewish. An online shop curated by owner Jennie Rivlin Roberts (@ModernTribe_Jew), Modern Tribe focuses on furnishing high-quality products and excellent customer service, with a goal of providing modern Jews with a means to embrace both their heritage and beautiful design.
Jennie blogs about modern Jewish life and style at http://blog.moderntribe.com/. The outfit had a physical location on Elizabeth Street until January 26 but is now focusing on finding a great space to fit their needs for the future. Read on–Jennie filled us in on the details of this unique venture and let us know what's next for this Atlanta-proud company.
Your Pitch:
ModernTribe makes and sells Judaica and Jewish gifts for younger or hipper Jews. We are a social enterprise that provides products that fit modern American Jews, helping them develop, express and share their Jewish identities. At the same time, our products modernize the Jewish brand, making it more welcoming and appealing to the majority of Jews, now.
Owner:
Jennie Rivlin Roberts
Location:
I'm a native Atlantan and I wouldn't think of living anywhere else. I say to my husband often: we are so lucky! We live on the best street, in the best neighborhood, in the best city, in the best country in the world. (We live in Candler Park.)
Employees:
5 – 12, depending on the season. We have been a very seasonal business, doing 40% or more of our business October – December. This year, with Thanksgivukkah, we did 80% of our business in October and November!
Founded:
2007
Funded or bootstrapped:
Bootstrapped
Price of Services:
Most of our products range from $5-$200
What Customers Get:
Customers get Jewish products that fit their life and style, a fun modern shopping experience, and excellent customer service.
How'd You Get The Idea For It:
When my husband and I got married and registered for Judaica (for gifts), we realized that Jewish retail and merchandise was 20 years behind the times. Also, we were regularly frustrated by the lame dreidel game, so we invented a new game that crosses Texas Hold'em poker with traditional dreidel called No Limit Texas Dreidel. We launched ModernTribe with this flagship product.
Collaboration Tools & Processes Do You Use:
We currently run our business with Gmail and Google apps.
Hypepotamus is a publication, housed in open collaborative space, where startup stories are living and told. The doors are open for students, developers, creatives and tech entrepreneurs willing to participating in the startup ecosystem. Hypepotamus is nonprofit, community supported and located at the historic Biltmore in Midtown, Atlanta.
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