Here I go, first time blogging, so excuse my fumbling. I wondered, what should I write about, my thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc, and would anyone care? Probably not! So, why not write about what I have been doing for the last year since I closed B. NY. in Santa Monica.
It has been a very interesting, thought provoking and soul searching time. You see, for those of you who don't know me, which is, I'm sure, all of you... I owned and operated a high end fashion forward clothing boutique in Santa Monica for the last 19 years. It was called B. NY. and we carried some of the most avant-guard designers from around the world. Designers like Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Undercover, Marithe & Francois Girbaud, Ann Demeulemeester, Haider Ackermann, Kiminori Morishita, Attachment, Masatomo, Limi Feu, Sacai, and many others. These men and women are true artists in their designs and use of fabrics and silhouettes and it was always very inspiring to be associated with them even if I was just selling their clothes.
This was my passion, my way of expressing myself, allowing me to create my own artistry by utilizing their designs and my store space to showcase a very tightly, focused point of view to my clients and associates. B.NY. had always been considered the undiscovered jewel hidden near the beach of Santa Monica, relished by my clients and the celebrities who enjoyed the paparazzi free zone, like Robert Downey Jr, Damon Wayans, Julia Roberts, Robin Williams, Jeremy Piven, Jamie Lee Curtis and many others.
There were so many good times and a few bad tines as well. especially leading me up to the decision to close B.NY in December 2009. Oh well, it was a perfect storm situation, everything that good go wrong went wrong, but of course the driving force was the ECONOMY or lack of it. Enough of this, it's time to move on and that is why this, BLOG!
I took some time off, long overdue by the way, to relax, rejuvenate, and re-energize. Do I want to remain in the fashion industry?(its what I know best after 25 years). Is it time for a new change?(maybe it is... who knows?). How do I reinvent myself? (that's a great question...I wish I knew). What am I going to do when I grow up? (OK, Mom, I'll tell you when I'm ready). What is my gut telling me to do? (Enough already!).
These were some of the conversations that I had with myself in the first few months and it became quite apparent to me that the passion for fashion had not diminished, that I missed the interchange between my clients, my employees and my vendors. I miss being able to cherry pick a collection, focus it for my clientele, present it to them and watch them enjoy trying on the clothes, finding all the delicious nuances of the fabrics and designs and then purchasing them knowing that they have just acquired a unique article of clothing that they will have and cherish for years.
So, what to do I do now? Obviously, I need to open up a new store, something that will catch the attention and fulfill the demand that I still feel is lacking in Santa Monica and also on the Internet. Thus began my journey in starting a new business, the concept, the business plan, acquiring the necessary ingredients to bring this to fruition... the funding of the Anteal boutique.
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