Back to the Beginning
Having an empty nest has some big benefits. First of all you know where everything is in your closet and if you buy something new you know where that is too. For families with daughters this can be a defining moment in the empty nest journey. Additionally, you are only in charge of yourself and everything else is optional. At this point in my life I don’t even have a pet. And, you never know what is around the corner.
At the end of September I went into Nordstrom to buy a birthday present. They were having a hiring fair. I am someone who walks by an event like this and can’t help but ask the girls behind the table what they are up to? Before I knew it I was hired on the spot. I volunteered to work a few hours over the holidays. I’ve done this before on college holiday breaks and when I moved to San Francisco the first time. I picked up a few hours, made new friends and used their generous discount to build my wardrobe. I have always loved clothes, fashion, and beautifully made things with exquisite workmanship.
Just out of college I drove to Seattle to buy my first Louis Vuitton handbag. It was the satchel and I took it everywhere I went. I even took it water skiing on the Willamette Rive in Portland where I lived at the time full of sunscreen, sun glasses and a change of clothes. Over the years it has been used almost non-stop. I had it completely refurbished a few years ago. It went back to Louis Vuitton in Paris and they took it apart and sewed it all back together. As good as new. Now, my daughter Paris has it. I remember using one of my first paychecks from my first job out of college to pay for it. It took my entire paycheck and I remember being shocked that I had to pay sales tax in Washington. Never the less, I had my bag, and it is actually worth more today than what I paid for it then ($450 + tax).
Being on the streets in San Francisco and seeing what people wear, what they want and how to give that to them will help me to build my own brand. I am also watching how Nordstrom who is the gold standard in customer service treats their customers and organizes and inspires their sales teams. I am watching how the they run their store. I am learning how to Merchandise. There are formulas and standards in doing this by the way. Many of these skills will be needed as I build the future for Ocean SF. My end goal is to sell into a store like Nordstrom and to master how they sell online through their many influencers and social media outlets. My goal is to be a featured brand in a major department store, but Ocean SF will be carried in a very popular local boutique in February which is a great start.
Even though I have an end game in mind of how working at Nordstrom will eventually benefit my brand it does remind me of my early years in California when I had few friends, but found my Nordstrom family to take me in. After the holidays I will move into an influencer role for Nordstroms and sharing what I think are the best kept secrets and what my daughters and I will be buying and wearing in 2023, but I will still be making and selling my own sportswear on our website (oceansf.co) and at events. More to follow on this venture and others in the future.
Love and blessings.
Sydney 