SHOP LOCAL

It is no secret that I am a HUGE supporter of local shopping.  Being raised by parents who owned a clothing store along with both sides if my grandparents, each at one time or another owning a grocery store, you can say it's just in my blood.  Maybe it's the reason I love to shop local boutiques, furniture stores, grocery stores and eat at locally owned restaurants.  There is just something about the appreciation of spending your money in a family owned business. It's why I love living in a small city, walking into a local shop and the employees calling you by name, knowing just what you love, is comforting. It shows that they care about you as their customer.  Many "Mom & Pop" stores are just that, literally ran by a husband and wife or their family.  Being a former business owner, I know the many, many hours put into making a business successful; the many sleepless nights of worry.  With that being said, I also know the rewards that come with owning your own business. The rewards FAR outweigh the worry, but it's just one thing that one who wants to be successful can't help (at least not on my end).
I encourage everyone to get out and shop your locally owned businesses. This is your community. These businesses support building a better and safer living environment for you and your family.  68% of every dollar spent stays local.  These businesses help support your little league teams, churches, schools, libraries and much, much more.  If just one person were to shift 10% of your spending from chains to local businesses, it would bring millions of dollars additionally to your community's economy.  SO GET OUT THERE AND SHOP WITH YOUR LOCAL OWNERS!!  I know they would appreciate it and you will reap the benefits in many ways!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!  

Personal Style

If you are a magazine junkie like me, you're very in tune with the styles that are popular at this moment.  Chevron, neon colors, crop tops...however, I am not going to talk about that. I am going to talk about Style and by that I mean your personal style.  You see, STYLE is not what's popular now. STYLE is what looks good on YOU!  Style is your own personal touch. For this article I will use myself as the example- because I'm writing this and because I can.  If you read the previous article, you will know a little bit of my background of growing up in a retail store that, of course, sold the latest fashion trends.  Over my years of working in retail, owning my own boutique and being a buyer, I have learned that although what's on trend is fun, it may not look good on me.  As Coco Chanel said "The best color in the whole wide world is the color that looks good on you."  Preach it, Coco!!  No matter how many times I try to wear the color orange, it will never look good on me. It will just never work, ever!!
What most women do not understand is that STYLE is something you own.  YOU own it.  YOU flaunt it.  YOU are it!  STYLE is what you feel comfortable wearing.  STYLE is what makes you hold your head up high and walk through those doors with confidence. YOUR style is what tells us who you are.
Classic.  Trendy.  Conservative.  Flirty.  Sexy.  Vintage...all paint a picture of your personality and what makes you unique.  Embrace it, be proud and express yourself. Isn't that what life is all about anyway?

Beginning to Make My Style

Over the years, I have helped many teenagers, twenty-somethings, and women dress themselves.  For whatever occasion, I was there to make them look and feel like a million bucks...and I loved every minute of it.  When I was young, like 9 or 10, I would find myself in my mother's closet playing dress up with her clothes. I was in HEAVEN.  You see, I got it honest from both parents. One statement I never heard come out of my parents mouth every time they have helped me move (and I move a lot) is "You have too many clothes" or "Who has that many pairs of shoes" or "You need to get rid of some of these purses."  The reason...they both are clothes whores just like me. They each have a walk-in closet that's the size of a small bedroom and if that isn't enough, every closet in their 4 bedroom house is filled with the other clothes, shoes or suits that can't fit in the walk-in.
My parent's met when they both were working at a department store while in college 39 years ago. My Dad later owned a department store in a small town and although a customer could buy their seasonal wardrobe and home furnishings, it still had a "Mom & Pop" feel.  This is where I learned at a very young age how to treat customers.  No matter what they looked like or how much they spent, treat them with respect and appreciate every purchase they made..
It didn't occur to me until I was in college that you could ACTUALLY get a degree in this field...Fashion Merchandising.  My college roommate asked me to take an elective with her and this is what she signed me up for. I was so excited on the first day of class because I knew everything the teacher was talking about. This is what I was raised doing with my Dad everyday after school and in the summers.
So that is how my LOVE of Fashion truly began. At the age of 36, it is still my love and passion.  Oh, believe me, I have tried to run away from it because there's not a lot of money in a small town to pay the bills, however, it still resides in my heart.  In other words, this great LOVE will not leave me alone. And so the journey begins....