For 21 years, Jessie Williams has run her independent and very stylish shop Edge of Urge in the Oakwood neighborhood of Raleigh, more recently adding the menswear store and bar, Unlikely Professionals across the street. She is also part owner of Root & Branch at the Raleigh-Durham airport. This creative entrepreneur extraordinaire has raised considerable funds for reproductive and lgbtq rights as well as efforts to get healthy foods to kids. When I ask about her aesthetic, she mentions giving as a big part of her whole vibe.

In this interview you'll learn about what I (Chauncey) call her very much "hinged maximalism" that is part of her brilliant vision. She's a maker-doer-mama bear to creative practitioners and is one Raleigh entrepreneur I'm particularly thankful for which is why I chose her as one of my two interviews for this project.

We get into arts education, raising kids here, North Carolina as a state overall, and her supportive indie store neighbors. We also talk about unconventional business planning that mixes the practical with a big dose of gut feeling and iterative process. I think that's worked out for her quite well. Take a listen and be inspired!