From left, Kayti Shoup and Kharysa Seward pose for a photo in their Nashville shop, Sora Binti.
Tucked deep within the downtown holler of Franklin Street, Sora Binti, 69 W. Franklin St., brings trendy clothing, accessories and joy to the streets of Nashville.
With October being National Women’s Small Business month, this shop is built on the foundation of women supporting women.
“I try to find things that support another small business or another woman-owned or minority-owned business,” owner Kharysa Seward said.
One way the store gives back to women is by selling and supporting Bytavi, a nonprofit out of Franklin that works with the Center for Global Impact to provide opportunities for women in Cambodia seeking asylum from human trafficking, abuse and poverty. The women are able to participate in a 12-week rehabilitation program that helps them with living after abuse. During the program they can choose what they would like to focus on from seamstress work to culinary arts and baking. This provides them with the opportunity to make a fair wage, provide for their families and receive holistic care.
Many other women-owned small businesses can also are represented in the boutique through jewelry, fragrances, candles, clothing, hand scrubs, keychains, coffee mugs, temporary tattoos and more.
Opened in 2022 by Seward, her sister DeLainey O’Neill and sister-in-law Ashley Mullis, the name Sora Binti comes from the Romanian translation of the words for sisters and daughters — “sora,” translating to sisters, and “binti,” translating to daughters. O’Neill and Mullis have since stepped away from ownership because of family and work schedules, but the name still symbolizes the roots of the boutique.
Seward’s youngest sister, Kayti Shoup, has been working in the boutique since 2023.
“We wanted to spend more time together, we all have a really good relationship, so it was fun to do it together,” Seward said. “We went to Nashville, Tennessee, and New York City for marketing shows. Even if they are not here right now and we don’t work together every day, the whole experience has been so fun. We never would have done those things together had we not been doing this.
“When we first opened, I talked to my sisters about what I wanted out of a shop in town. I live here. I’ve lived here my whole life. I love shopping in town. I have my favorites where I Christmas shop for certain people. I love the town, there are other boutiques that are great, I just wanted something more my style. I wanted a place where I could walk in and buy something for my mother-in-law, sisters, best friend, my kids’ teachers, one collective location for all those things and be on a trendier side.”
Seward prefers to sell products from people she is able to connect with in-person. She illuminates the importance of sisterhood and connection by referring to the business owners as other sisters. She also displays keychains and cards with slogans like, “sister owned” and “mother of the year”.
The newest addition to the boutique is the charm bar, where customers can choose from a few jewelry options to personalize with charms. Seward said that people can expect to see more additions to it in the future. While the boutique focuses on clothing and accessories for women, they have recently stocked a small section for men.
Sora Binti is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and plans to be open Monday through Saturday during October, though hours may fluctuate depending on demand.
Updates can be found online at sorabinti.myshopify.com/.
