Ivy Storehouse is honored to congratulate Ivy Box Ambassador, prominent retail executive, and creator of Patti Pies, Kinna Thomas, on her digital feature in the USA Today article entitled “Target, Costco, Starbucks and more. Black women shopping groups grow on Facebook, Instagram.” The article documents the success of her Facebook group, Black Women Who Love Fashion as well as the rise of other Black women shopping groups. On Monday, February 28th, Kinna was invited to speak about the group and her professional success on KNWA & Fox 24 News!
Kinna currently serves as a Senior Divisional Planner at Target after a highly decorated 9-year career at Walmart Incorporated where she served as the Director of Global Customer Insights and Analytics. She is the proud mom of two boys as well as an active member of the Phi Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in Northwest Arkansas. Kinna has been happily married to her husband, Gerry Thomas, for seventeen wonderful years.
A proud HBCU alumnae, Kinna received her Bachelor of Science in Business from Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee where she was initiated into The Beta Chi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She then furthered her education by receiving her Master of Arts in Management and Master of Business from Webster University.
Black Women Who Love Fashion began as a passion project for Kinna in 2020 as she felt moved to create a safe space for Black women to uplift one another after the May 25th murder of George Floyd. Though she worked from home during the pandemic, Kinna continued to dress up as though she was going to the office as an act of self-care and started the group by sharing photos of her chic outfits with members. The group has gone on to achieve rapid success and its membership currently spans over 72,000 Black women across the globe.
Kinna is no stranger to innovation as she is also the founder of the best-selling Patti Pies and the Patti Labelle Peach Cobbler. She conceptualized the dessert line just two weeks into her role as the Senior Buyer for Cakes and Pies at Walmart. What many may not know, is that the recipe for the base of the famous pie is Kinna’s family recipe. In fact, when she approached the President of Bakery and Deli at Walmart about her idea, it was only a mere 24 hours later before she was in contact with Patti Labelle and the finishing touches were being crafted for the Patti Pies.
Patti Pies went on to take the world by storm in 2015 and became an overnight internet sensation-selling out on shelves across the country. Five years after its launch in 2020, Walmart reported that 36,000 Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pies are sold a day. Following the success of the Patti Pies, the line has expanded to include peach cobbler, banana pudding, bread pudding, and many more variations of African American dessert staples.
A highly decorated executive, Kinna is the recipient of the 2017 Buyer of the Year for Walmart and was nominated in both 2015 and 2016. On her KNWA segment, Kinna stated that she is “very serious about making sure that her purpose is realized and is very intentional about showing up for people in a positive way.” Through the creation of the Black Women Who Love Fashion Facebook group and Patti Pies, Kinna has found a way to uplift the culture, share our stories, and amplify our voices in a meaningful way.
Ivy Storehouse is extremely proud to commence Women’s History Month by celebrating one of our very own! Kinna is a phenomenal talent, a bright light, and an inspiration to us all. As an Ivy Box subscriber since 2018, we are extremely proud to have her serve as a Brand Ambassador, and we look forward to seeing what she creates next! Visit here to read her USA News article and here to view her segment on Good Day NWA.
