If there’s one thing Camille Alston has in spades, it’s grit. The New Jersey-born, Nashville-resident owner of N.B. GOODS weathered a flooded apartment during Hurricane Irene, successfully worked her way up the music industry management ranks, survived a major car accident, and endured the recent tornado in December 2023 — which wiped out the majority of her shop inventory. We caught up with Camille to learn more about her journey, her co-ownership of the new Lucky Rabbit Candy Shop, and how we can help support N.B. GOODS as she rebuilds.
Where are you from originally, and what brought you to Nashville?
I am originally from New Jersey — born and raised. I also went to college there. I was working at a record label, living in Manhattan, but itching for a change. I tried moving just across the river to Jersey City, and two months after I moved in, my apartment flooded in Hurricane Irene (the year before Sandy). I had visited Nashville a few times, and it was the only place that felt like it could be home. I quit my job, packed up what little I had left, and moved to Nashville with no job.
Tell us about your career trajectory — from the music industry to your current retail businesses.
My goal when I moved to Nashville in 2012 was to get into management. I was able to hit the ground running fairly quickly by pretty much agreeing to work for free and learning as I went. The first artist I worked for was Brett Eldredge. We knew each other through the label, and I jumped on as a day-to-day manager and tour manager, working for his manager at the time, Rob Baker. Rob took a gamble on me, having lots of industry experience but lacking on the management side, and I am forever grateful. We are still great friends.
My experience in tour management was invaluable. As a day-to-day manager, I intimately understood the daily work that goes into the touring side of the business. I was able to be realistic with my management, as it was coming from a place of genuine experience. In the first two years, we went from virtually no success to touring with Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, and a host of others.
Eventually I handed off tour managing duties, and in the subsequent years, we helped continue to build Brett’s career; he achieved seven number-one singles, a CMA award, developed his Christmas record and concept, and [received] a host of other accolades. At the end of 2018, Jason Owen brought me on at Sandbox Entertainment to handle day-to-day management for Kelsea Ballerini.
That job was truly a dream, but it came at a weird intersection in my life. My dad was dying of stage four lung cancer; I had met my husband and purchased a house. Jason and Kelsea showed me a level of respect and care during that time that I will never forget. Kelsea is one of the hardest working people in Nashville, and I felt I was doing her a disservice — my heart and mind just weren’t in it anymore.
I put in my notice at Sandbox in January of 2020. Kelsea was set to release an album in March, so I stayed on through that release. But the world had other plans. The last three weeks of my music industry career were spent at home on Zoom calls without fanfare or real goodbyes. I’d planned to take the rest of the year off and figure out what I wanted to do next, but I found it hard to sit still. I took a part-time job at a new bakery called HiFi Cookies, opening in a small shopping center in East Nashville.
While I was there, one of the retail spaces went up for lease. I had a small idea to make a little boutique accessories company, but I had no inventory, no real social media, and barely any sales. I somehow convinced them to give me the space, and the rest is history.
What inspired you to start N.B. GOODS, and where did the name come from?
Since I was in high school, one of my favorite things about going to concerts was the merchandise. I’ve also always had a very gender-neutral sense of style. As a kid, it was simply referred to as “being a tomboy.” But in the last few years, there’s been a shift; people are starting to embrace wearing whatever makes them feel great from whatever section of the store. It can be completely extracted from gender or gender norms.
I wanted to bring that gender-neutral vibe together with my sense of humor and style. N.B. began as Neely’s Bend, where I started the business, but these days, I prefer to let people make up their own ideas. One of my favs is “Not Bad Goods.”
The recent December 9 tornado wiped out the bulk of your N.B. GOODS stock. Tell us about the damage and how are things progressing now.
It was pretty trippy to leave our largest, most successful event of the year to drive up to our warehouse, knowing we had likely lost all our inventory and equipment.
As we were packing up from Porter Flea, I got the all-clear from my husband that our house was okay, so after that, I sort of put the whole storm out of my mind. Then I got a call from Andy, who co-owns Bad Luck Burger Club. They were parking their food truck in our lot and had gotten back from an event. Andy is a very jovial and positive guy and I could immediately tell from the tone of his voice that it was serious.
At that point, it was dark and rainy, and I knew there really wasn’t much we could do. I just kind of laid eyes on everything and knew it would be a long few days. The next morning, the area had gas leaks and power lines down, so no one could get through. I had to beg the police to let me in and then do it all over again when I decided to get a rental truck and start getting all of my personal things and anything important out, not knowing if any of it was salvageable or not.
Luckily, we had a few things down at our retail shop and whatever was left over from Porter Flea. Everything else was a loss. Right now, our main focus is finding a new home base. Nashville’s commercial real estate market is bonkers right now, especially for small businesses. I don’t have investors or some big pool of money like in Ducktales. High-traffic areas are looking for hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent per year, so we are searching for a needle in a haystack.
What can we look forward to when N.B. GOODS is back up and running, and how can we support you in the meantime?
I’m looking at this time as a chance to start fresh with the business. Our foundation is strong, and we have an incredible community surrounding us. When we’re back up and running, I hope to have some things a little more streamlined — to feel like we’ve taken this time to regroup and step up our game. But it won’t be a complete 180. I’m still just a kid with a Jersey attitude causing a little ruckus in Music City. That will never change. In the meantime, keep up with us on Instagram and gear up for the relaunch.
You also co-own Lucky Rabbit with Allison Holley. How did the two of you team up?
Allison and I both have our storefronts at the Shops at Porter East. When we both set out looking for warehouse space, she found a great spot, and I subleased a little room from her. I quickly outgrew it but moved right next door and, eventually, just around the corner in the same complex. Our shopping center is a community, and we’re all just friends.
When one of the units opens up, we always try to give our friends a heads-up. The space Lucky Rabbit is in turned over a few times in the last three years, and we know the neighborhood so well, we said, “Why don’t we just do it ourselves?” I lived two doors down from the iconic Economy Candy in New York, and Allison’s mom owned a candy store when she was a kid. We both felt we could bring our own touch to the classic idea. We’re also really big on community, and what’s better than a neighborhood candy store?
What are some of your favorite items from Lucky Rabbit and N.B. GOODS?
One of my favorite items at N.B. GOODS is our “United States vs. Bruce Springsteen” trucker hat. It’s one of our O.G. items and kind of an inside joke amongst Springsteen fans. Some people think it’s political, but it’s not. The story is on our site, but it’s basically about how Bruce doesn’t hesitate to be a normal guy and be seen in the most random places in New Jersey. He will stop for fans no matter what, and one time, it got him into a little bit of trouble. It’s worth a read.
It’s made its way into the hands of some of my personal heroes (including Bruce), and that still blows my mind. The design looks like it could be from the ’70s, and it’s also a great conversation starter, so it’s kind of taken on a life of its own.
From Lucky Rabbit, I’ll always reach for some kind of sour gummy thing, a pack of Peanut Chews (my favorite candy from when I was a kid), and a Cheerwine soda because it was my dad’s favorite.
What are you looking forward to most in 2024?
I’m looking forward to finding more of a balance. In 2023, my husband and I renovated our house for an HGTV show (Building Roots); I got into a major automobile accident, opened Lucky Rabbit with Allison, and my warehouse was destroyed by a tornado. It’s been very high highs and very low lows. I love an adventure, but I’d be cool with some smaller waves this year. Rebuilding N.B. GOODS will be a lot of work that I wasn’t anticipating, but I think, ultimately, it will make the brand stronger.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My old boss at Atlantic Records in New York, Lea Pisacane, used to say, “I buy, you fly.” I was her assistant, and she mostly brought her lunch. But if she ever ordered out, she always bought me lunch too, and then I would “fly,” aka go pick it up for us. It wasn’t necessarily advice, but it was a lesson for me in how to treat people.
She didn’t have to buy me lunch. As an assistant, I got plenty of lunches for people who didn’t even care to know my name, let alone buy me a $15 salad. I was making no money, and it was such a treat. Lea worked at Atlantic for 30 years or something like that. She had seen it all and was still so kind. She’s still like a second mom to me. We talk at least once a month for an hour.
Outside of faith, family, and friends, what three things can’t you live without?
I can’t live without dogs. We have five of our own, but all dogs are the best. They bring a form of pure love and joy to this world that we all need a little more of.
LIGHTNING ROUND
What location tops your travel bucket list? The Amalfi Coast. I’ll have to sell a lot of trucker hats to get there.
What’s your go-to comfort food dish, and where do you get it? A plain bagel — with pork roll, egg, and cheese, or just toasted with butter, depending on how much comfort I need. [I get it from] H&S Bagels in Midtown because it feels like home.
What local haunts do you take friends and family to when they visit? If it’s during the season, I love taking people to an NSC game. We’re season ticket holders, and I think it’s the best sporting experience in town.
What’s your go-to gift, and where do you shop for it? It sounds cheesy, but I usually like to make my gifts. I have a few personal embroidery machines, so I usually grab something useful I think the person will like and put their initials or a funny saying on it.
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Nashville women are doing inspiring work. Meet more of them over at our FACES archives!
