When I decided to leave my corporate role last year and open my boutique, it was with a mission far beyond fashion. The heart of this mission came to life in an unexpected way recently when I offered to pick up a pair of shoes that didn’t fit a customer. She loved the shoes, but they were too big. As I arrived at her door, she invited me in. Her eyes reflected a deeper story—she had just lost her mom the week before, and she was struggling.
I understood her pain all too well. I lost my own mom not too long ago.
As she shared more, I learned that her husband had also passed away last year, leaving her feeling profoundly alone. My heart ached for her because I, too, know the sting of such losses, having lost both my parents and my brother—the only person who truly grasped what it's like to lose our parents—in the past year.
In the midst of her grief, she extended a simple yet touching gesture: offering me one of the cookies she had baked. Despite my busy schedule—seeing my daughter, visiting my grandsons, and running errands—I felt an undeniable pull to stay. This is exactly why I pivoted from my corporate career to owning a boutique: to create space for spontaneous, meaningful conversations and to live each day with intention.
We spent the next hour together, sharing our sorrow, finding solace in our children, and laughing over cherished memories. It was a natural, heartfelt connection that transcended the material things she had bought from my store. It wasn’t about the shoes, the cute pink and gold phone chain, or even the XS shirt I found for her. It was about women connecting on a deeply human level, sharing our stories, and supporting each other through life’s toughest moments.
Owning a boutique has given me the incredible gift of meeting people like her and hearing their beautiful stories. Her mother, who lived to be 96, was the epitome of grace and style, dressing up every single day. Just a week before, they had gone out together for new jeans and shoes and enjoyed a lovely lunch. I can only hope to have such vitality at 96.
Isn’t it fascinating how our lives are woven together through more than just clothes and shopping? It’s about mothers and daughters, sisters, friends, and neighbors sharing beautiful moments. This is the true essence of our boutique: connecting hearts, one story at a time.
-Cyndi