How did you get started in the business? I moved to New Orleans in 1995 and noticed a shortage of youthful, affordable clothing stores in the Uptown area. I signed a lease, went to Tulane University for help and traveled to New York for my first buying trip.
Why do you do what you do? What I love most are the people I work with. We have a good time – and I think it passes on to our customers. We love helping people and making them feel good about themselves. And we keep the store young and fun – that’s what we strive for!
Who would you most like to dress and accessorize? Maybe Jennifer Aniston because she always seems happy and comfortable in what she wears.
Tell us about current trends? Right now we’re selling lots of white jeggings paired with cute tops in mints, corals and prints. Everyone seems to love the chevron and Aztec prints in dresses and tops. Lace, colored denim and statement jewelry continue to be popular.
How do you make your buying decisions? Buying at C. Collection is a group effort. We all participate and love this part of our job and the gratification when customers appreciate what we find at not-such-steep prices. We also enjoy having focus group coffee hours with people of different ages to ask what they want us to bring into the store.
What do you think of New Orleanians’ style? We think everyone in New Orleans has their own style, which is what we love about the place.
