I am back at it- my now bi-annual blog post. Maybe this will
be the year I actually start doing it more, I’ll set my goal fairly low- quarterly
maybe?! A new website, a new blog, perfect
time a fresh start. (Don’t hold your
breath, enjoy these words, they are usually lengthy however I probably won’t
find the wit in me for a while again.)
We did it, we finally did it. You are on our new website.
The last site was from 2013- which might have been the oldest operating (though
hardly) ecommerce site around. I was so happy to have that site during the 2020
lock down, I know a lot of small boutiques like mine didn’t have online
shopping and I felt so lucky that I did. The dinosaur that it was, it still
worked, though slow and painful to shop on, my awesome dedicated customer still
shopped it- Thank you!! I knew for many years that it was time for a redo, but
I never found the time. Turns out I didn’t have the time in 2021 either but pecked
away at it, with the help of Danielle my ever steady right hand woman, friend,
employee, fellow lover of all things girly- after almost 6 months we have
finally launched. If you read my last blog post you know that this isn’t just a
redo of a website, this year has been a refreshing of many things for me and for
the shoppe.
When the paint rollers came out at the beginning of the year
and I started wanting a whole new look it really snow balled into more than I
anticipated. And like most projects it took longer than I anticipated, the painting
of the store took us a month, but the journey continues. I feel like I learned a lot through the
process, really looked inside me and analyzed the vision and mission of the shoppe.
(yes this is all from needing to pick a new paint color). All this reflection came to fruition in the
new logo. When working on the rebranding I made lists of words of what the
store meant to me, to my customers, the history, the product we carry, what new
direction I wanted to go, where it had been…. Who, what, where is Patricia
Shoppe now?
I went back to its roots and started digging through my
Grandmother’s scrap book, the original inspiration, the birth of Patricia
Shoppe. And there it was- A female owned business, supporting other women, an
artistic vision, a drive to survive and support herself and her son, 30 years
of hard work, beautiful clothes, styles that last the test of time, timeless
elegance. I never lost my vision, I didn’t need a new one, I just need to bring
it out and celebrate it more. Nice to
know I wasn’t going crazy, just needed a little soul searching to find myself
again. One of Patricia’s dress design sketches that was always my favorite spoke
to me one day and I snapped a picture of the face of the sketch and sent it to
my graphic designer who happens to be my best friend. I sent sketches, and random
scattered words and visions and we slowly created the New? Patricia Shoppe. (thank
you Alicia for your patience!)
This blooming vintage lady head symbolizes the strength and
beauty that grows from within women and blooms into our own unique persona and individuality.
She is wild and free, elegant, both a bouquet and yet a branching tree and a
budding leaf. She is many things, she will wilt and grow, blow in the wind and
reach for the sun. She- my logo represents my mission at Patricia shoppe; To
support women and help make our inner beauty grow and shine on the outside as
much as it does on the inside.
I hope you all see a bit of you in this. I like to think
that is why you come to my shop, why you are here on this site. I want you to
know that picking out clothes, jewelry and accessories with you while you are
in my shop is more than just shopping to me. I know that what we wear as women
give us confidence, it defines our personality, it can be our armor, it can be our
comfort and many more things. I think of this when picking out what to sell in
my shop. I want you to know that this isn’t just a random ecommerce site, this
is as much a shopping experience as coming to the store is. I find other women like us and support them. I
try to carry products from female owned businesses, and designers with a story
to help tell your story and mine. Happy shopping friends, enjoy this curated collection
that is always evolving, ever changing and handpicked just for you, inspired by
her.
