Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Diaz.
Amanda, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started working in the retail/fashion industry when I was sixteen years old and never looked back, I am still going strong fifteen years later and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I’ve always loved expressing my personality and creativity through fashion and doing the same for other people along the way! After graduating with an apparel merchandising degree, I started working for a corporate department store. I moved around for a few years working as a manager and finally ended up working in the buying office in Fort Worth. I worked as a buyer for a little over five years traveling to New York and L.A. buying for the juniors and young men’s areas. Before working for a department store my experience was in local boutiques in the towns I grew up in and went to college in. This was something I really missed; the unique selections, personal relationships with customers, and the fulfillment that came from getting to personally help and connect with customers.
Last November, I decided to take a leap of faith and leave the corporate world and try something new on my own. This was very hard for me because I have always been such a planner (very type A) and I had been with the same company for almost eight years. This meant I would be giving up all my benefits and everything I had worked hard to achieve, to chase my dream of having something of my own. I decided to open my own boutique, a dream I’ve always had but ultimately have always been terrified of doing. I launched my online store “Maywood Boutique” in mid-August and have been learning something new every single day. I recently started doing pop-up shops and they have been so rewarding. I have loved getting to chat with customers, hear their comments, their stories and what they are looking for. I hope to have a warehouse space in the future that I can office out of and do my own pop-ups on certain days during the week.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have learned so much along the way and I continue to learn something new every day. Some of the struggles I faced, in the beginning, was building my website, getting approved for my sales tax permit, and shrinking my logo to fit in that tiny perfect Instagram circle. You just never know what you are going to run into, I am just trying to take everything one day at a time and use each obstacle as a learning experience and try to not get too frustrated or discouraged. For example, today, I had to completely take down my website for 48 hours and use a modified theme in the meantime because there was a coding error with the theme/platform company I currently use. You just never know!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Maywood Boutique – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Maywood Boutique is a women’s apparel and accessories store. Maywood is after my late Grandmother, she was always my biggest cheerleader and I wanted to honor her in some way. I decided to use “May” from her name to do just that.
As I mentioned before, I’ve always loved shopping in small local stores especially ladies boutiques. As I’ve gotten older (out of the college phase), I noticed it was harder to shop in some boutiques because I felt like the style was too young for me or too mature. I wanted to have products in my store that women in their thirties and older felt comfortable, cute, and confident wearing. I also took into consideration my customers more than likely have kiddos at home, they are able to shop from the comfort of their home and I offer free delivery to residents in Fort Worth.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I am looking forward to eventually having an office space outside of my home where I can have pop-up shops of my own and also invite local artists to attend.
Pricing:
- Everything on the site is under $100
- Date night outfit for under $100
- Free Delivery to local residents in Fort Worth
Contact Info:
- Website: https://maywoodboutique.com
- Email: maywoodboutique@gmail.com
Image Credit:
B Family Films @filmingfamilies
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