Beyond the Boutique: The Business of Fashion

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Business can be a lonely game, but it doesn't have to be. Welcome to Boutique Chat, where we explore community over competition and how to scale your company with the balance and the happiness that we all seek. We'll hear from product based businesses of all types, retailers, e commerce and wholesale brands, along with industry experts shaping the future of our industry. I'm your host, Ashley Alderson from the Boutique Hub and I can't wait to chat.

Hey, guys.

Welcome back to the Boutique Chat podcast. I am so excited that you're here to join us today, our first live podcast.

I'm so honored.

Thank you. There's no better person to have because we talk a lot about community of your competition and boutique besties. And you're like my boutique bestie, my work bestie.

Yeah, it's. It's a very interesting place to be when you're leading an organization. We're both doing that. And so to have, you know, that in common and talk about the business and the market, but also, you know, running a business and the challenges there and the opportunities. You've given me, so much mentorship over the year.

Oh, my gosh. And vice versa. I just love the vantage point. I feel like we both see the industry from a different point of view, so I hope we get to share that.

Yeah, absolutely.

Today. But your story, we have to start there because I have loved watching your journey because you're a badass businesswoman.

Thank you.

You are.

Thank you.

A ton of fun. But you started in customer service here.

Yeah.

So tell me, like, give me the evolution because most people, I think, especially young people today, like, we want to hear how f can we evolve, how.

Fast can we get to the top?

But you put in so much work to get exactly where you are. Tell me about that journey.

Yeah, it wasn't easy. You know, a lot of patience, a lot of trials, tribulations and so forth and growing. So in 2006, 18 and a half years ago, I started App Magic as a customer service rep. Before that, I was a little bit in fashion. I had a clothing line. I worked in a retail boutique. And so I loved fashion, but I was ready to work for something more corporate. I didn't want to have my own business. I wasn't really sure. So. So I was able to have an interview, got the job, and my job was to call all of the exhibitors and get their contracts filled out, collect their payments for their booth space. And I just thought it was so cool, you know, I was talking to these people from Steve Madden and These big brands, remember like Dollhouse and Bubblegum and all these junior brands. Like, this is amazing. And I just loved it. It was addicting. Of course I got yelled at a couple times by some unhappy customers and it ebbed and flow. But being in the event space and being contact with all these incredible designers and business owners, it was nothing like it. So I did start in 2006 there and we did a little bit of like retention selling, selling the brands back into the booth. And I was pretty good at it. I had the gift of gab, so I was pretty good at it. And then eventually I started selling new brands into the exhibit space. And that's when we realized I need to be in sales. And it just grew and grew. I didn't only work on magic. I work on our men's portfolio. Magic Men's then. And then I took over some sales teams and so forth and so forth. So 18 and a half years later, I oversee the fashion group for Informa.

Marcus, man. So there's so many, I mean, countless life lessons you've learned along the way.

So many.

What's your advice for someone who is really seeking to grow in their career.

To get to the top, you know, it's really hard. It was a different day back then, right? 18 years ago, you kind of had to have more patience now. And I think right now we don't have as much patience. And that's okay because every. Everybody should do what's right for them. For me personally, I love this. I'm a Virgo at heart. I love the structure, the plan. I like to work in corporate. I know exactly what's expected of me. And so for me personally, it was really the trick was kind of productivity. So as dorky as this sounds, just as a salesperson, right. I had to hit 30 calls a day and make sure 10 of them were successful.

And.

And you better believe I was an overachiever and made sure I did 40 calls and had 15 successful. So I always was. And I'm not saying this is healthy. Today, again, different day. Like hustle culture should not be so hardcore. But I was an overachiever. I thrived on hitting goals, KPIs. And so that was number one that I think contributed to my success. I always asked for feedback and I think that's a really hard thing for people. I asked my manager, I asked my peers for feedback. It was so hard to hear. But I knew that in order to be able to grow, I had to know where I wasn't thriving. So I remember so clearly, you guys, because I'm not a polished person, just my vocabulary. I'm a salesperson at heart. I'm a CB student. You know, I dress for me, not for corporate. And I remember one of my bosses, probably, like, in 2008, saying, like, like, what's your feedback for me? Where can I improve it? He's like, you need to dress the part. And I'm like, what are you talking about? He's like, you don't dress the part, and people aren't going to take you seriously. I was so offended. I could not believe it. I thought I was so cute. And at the end of the day, that was hard to hear, but it was kind of right back then. Today, nobody, you don't need to dress the part. We don't judge on what you're wearing, all that. But he was like, listen, if you want people to take you seriously, that it was hard to hear. But if I never asked, I never took the feedback seriously. I would have never grown and been here today. You know what? You need to listen more. I heard that a lot because I talk too much. Okay. So I would talk to myself and be like, listen, stop interrupting. And I think overall, the mentors I had in my life, the good bosses, really taught me. I saw the people who I didn't want to be like, and I saw the people I wanted, and it was empathy, People who were authentic and people who could balance between, you know, being hard and also being soft. And therefore, I created my own leadership style. And I think that's why I'm a leader today. I operate a business, and listen, my team will tell you I am not perfect, but I think it's a good balance between leadership and being able to operate a successful business. Absolutely. And not only that, but also just.

Like the right and left brain, how you bring that together, like, you're very much a creative person, but you're so analytical. And in our world and working with retailers, like, sometimes people are one and not always the other. But you have to have both and learn how to strengthen both. How have you come to balance both the analytical and the creative in your position?

Yeah, and I say that a lot. It's so hard to find, like, even when you hire employees, right? Yeah. How do you get the unicorns that has fashion experience, creativity, and they're really good marketers, are really good at, you know, operating a P and L. It doesn't. Listen, everybody is not going to meet every need. And I for sure did not. Right. I was great at sales. I wasn't that great at fashion or like some of the other stuff. I. I had to develop that over the years. And so I think it's really being honest. You and I are big. You know, we put a lot of work into ourselves and our growth. And it's like listing out, like, I know my P and L management is great. Is not great. I know I have to be better at holding people accountable. And that's really hard for me because I hate to be the bad guy and I want everybody to like me. And it was. It was kind of like, I am a creative and I have the gift, but here are my weaknesses and I need to figure out how to get better at that. And. And putting the time towards that was key. That's what sets successful people apart. You have to dedicate time to learn, train, educate, and be able to grow where, you know you have weaknesses and gaps. And I think operating a business too, what I realized, I'm never going to be great at certain things. And I hire people that fill my gaps. I don't want twins of myself. I got this. I need people who fill my gaps. And together we are unstoppable. We are the Avengers. Yeah, I like, assembled the Avengers. You know, she's really good at this. He's really good at this. Okay, now we have a team. So hire people that fill your gaps because you're not going to always be perfect. I've developed certain skills by strategic mindset. Was really bad. I couldn't see long term. I was so like in just a couple months ahead. And so developing those, hiring people that fill my gaps and being really honest with your gaps.

Sorry, that was a lot.

That was so good.

Sarah Burks always says, do what you do best and hire the rest. You guys all heard her say this, and that's exactly right. We look at it at the boutique.

Hub like, no, you want to build.

A SEAL Team 6 of like experts in the region.

You SEAL Team 6 and I say Avengers.

Right.

But it's the same mindset.

Okay, so I have to ask you this because, I mean, leadership at work, I think there's a misconception of when you put in so much time to be great at something like your career. I think there's certain people who think then as a mom, it's taking time away from that. And maybe you aren't as good over here because you've invested so much over here. And I just believe that's a lie and it's a myth and it's not a zero sum game. I think that people who want to be successful in one area of their life naturally want to be successful in others as well. So how have you taken all of these leadership skills you've developed here? And also as a mom, as a career woman, as a mother, how do you balance it there as well and help your kids learn the same lessons?

Yeah, listen, it was a lot of trial and error and I'm still messing up every day. And I do think you can have it all. I just think you have to give yourself grace and be able to understand that sometimes you're gonna be really killing it in your career and sometimes you're gonna be a lot better as a mom and your career's gonna suffer a little bit and it's okay. And so it's a lot of kind of figuring out the flow. Right. This isn't anything with your relationships, your marriage, your friendships. It's just I feel like my time management had to be worked on. So time management, boundaries. I have to have boundaries. So if I'm expected to be online at 9 o', clock, I have to be able to disappoint people and vice versa, I have to disappoint my kids. You know, if I have to travel to shows, you know, back to back weeks, I set that expectation. And so knowing that you're doing the best, communicating, so setting that expectation, my kids, I'm going to be gone the next two weeks. I will be available for you as much as I can via FaceTime phone. A lot of communicating. Same with my team. I'm going to be with my kids this weekend or after five every day. I'm going to be offline and you guys are going to figure it out. So I think it's just a lot of communicating and learning that over time it took a while, right? And we still mess up and I still feel guilty to everybody. I feel like I am accountable to so many and spread so thin sometimes. And there's days where I just go, I want to make everybody happy, but I can't. And I think we all say this is, if I don't make myself happy, I'm not going to be able to show up for any of you. And so that lesson really happened probably three years ago. It took years to say, I'm going to take care of myself first and my career, my employees, my friends, my husband at the time, you know, I didn't do great at that. And then my kids, you guys are all going to have to be second. And prioritizing that. At the end of the day, though, And I tell my team this. You are number one. And talk to us. Tell us if you need the time. Tell us if it's too much. We will figure it out together. My job for my team is to support you. And you need to speak up. My kids, too. If I'm not showing up the way they need me to, tell me, I will figure it out for you. But honestly, I need to show it for myself. My naps, my Real Housewives, my frozen yogurt. Like that's priority these days.

Do you think that more? I mean, whether you're a business owner or you're in a career in fashion, just anyone in this industry who's listening, how can we all do a better job of taking care of ourselves? Because, like you said, like, you can't fill someone else's cup when yours is empty. What are the lessons? We need to just, like, take the time.

Yeah. So it's saying no. It's boundaries being okay to disappoint people. Your husband, your kids, your employees. And boundaries are hard. They're really hard. But honestly, you will crack. You will have a breakdown, and maybe you need that in order to finally make change. I know I did. And so I think it's just getting to that exhausted place that you're like, I can no longer do this. But you have to know it doesn't mean you need to quit. It doesn't mean you need to give, you know, get the divorce or give up, whatever it is. It just means tell them. Just say no. Start there, and then let's figure out if there's a solution. But at the end of the day, and this is like, my dorky, spiritual side, like, you got to listen to your intuition. You know what you need to do. You just have to put it into practice and really listen to your soul.

Oh, that's so good. So helpful.

Yeah.

So as I think about our. Just our audience and everyone who listens to the podcast, I think oftentimes we think about working in this space. And I know from the boutique side of things, we think I've got to be a boutique owner to be in this space. I have to be a business owner to be in this space. You've introduced me to so many incredible people, so many of my favorite people you've introduced me to, who have careers I didn't even know existed.

Yeah.

And so I want to do a better job of talking about what are the other careers that you see from your vantage point, outside of even just being a business owner in this space.

Yeah. I mean, it's changed so much, Right. And there's no rules, so a lot of things have been removed. So if you have a brick and mortar boutique and you have E Commerce, you can also now like live sell and you can do a marketplace, a different marketplace as another, you know, like the world is your oyster right now. And that goes for any career within fashion. Right. Think differently. How do I work in reseller? You know, how do I work with recycled, like inventory management and doing this? And I think that happens with marketers, right? So how do I work with this girl who's really great at marketing? How could she help amplify me? And so I'm seeing, you know, you have stylists who could help you in your business. How do I bring value to my customers with stylists? How do I work with costume designers? So for me it's like, let's break all the barriers and figure out what the customer needs. First of all, what does the end consumer needs? Let's just start there in fashion.

Yeah.

Look at all the demographics. Look at people who are our daughter's age starting at 14 or 13 and go all the way to our grandparents. What do they need? Where does the problems we need to solve and start putting together. And I see so many people doing it so well. I'm mind blown. This new generation. I say new generation, like what I'm like the oldest millennial possible at 43. Everybody younger than 35 right now. It's mind blowing how creative they are and how they make money. And you've taught me so much on creating this like model membership model, right? I'm like, how do I do that for us? You know, like, how do instead of signing somebody up for a booth show. To show, to show, I can have a multi show contract for magic. You could sign up for seven magics at once. Like how do I take your model and say you don't have to sign up for each Vegas or each Nashville at the same time. You can sign up for seven shows now because she taught me, make it easier on your customer. So point being is I see so much opportunity and I think blending the, you know, removing barriers and blending roles and saying, how am I going to solve a problem for the end consumer or our end customer and creating net new roles. We used to be so rigid right in, in my company where it's like you're in. You're only a. Just because I'm looking at Jules, you're only a brand manager. You're only doing this and you work on this and it's like, no, why can't that role also help support social media and experiences? And so I think it's. We've done a really good job at that. I think your team, too. When I look at, like, what Beth does or, you know, it's like Sarah, she operates all of these things and she speaks and she does that. And, and, and finding what you do best. And so let's. Finding your purpose. How do you find your purpose? What are, what are you amazing at? So me, it's the gift of gab. I could sell you anything. What is your passion? Fashion equals my career and what I'm going to do and what that position is going to be. And I think that's what I'm seeing happening with your team. With my team in this world today, in fashion of what are you really good at? What's your passion? And that's the role you should create for yourself or the people you should find.

Yeah. And even cross company. Like, I love the internal aspect of it, but when I think about community over competition and what does that mean? The amount of collaboration across our industry has really increased. I feel like when I first came into fashion, it was just very siloed.

Yeah.

And when you came to a show, it was like, you know, Sarah had her rack here and Susie had her rack there. You better not look at them, you know, because you might. Yeah, yeah.

No pictures.

You know, there used to be signs on booths all over, like, no pictures ever. And there still is to a certain extent, but not for the same reasons. So how have you seen just the. The lifeblood of community over competition across companies?

I think digital changed that. Right. Because back in the day, we didn't have access to see what you were doing on a website, what I'm doing on a website. And, you know, social media, I can see what everybody's doing now. So that already, it forced us to start looking at each other's stuff and getting familiar and giving each other accolades or maybe feeling a little jealous and then be like, I need to do that. Hey, how'd you do that? And so I think social media, Internet, it removed that and it forced us to really pay attention and gave us FOMO and jealousy and things. And then that allowed us to start connecting more in conversations. You know, I believe that we're stronger together. Fashion has changed so much. And if we don't talk and we don't collaborate and we don't partner, we're going to make it harder for people and our customers and our shoppers and Our end consumers. So let's get together. I think where the line. It gets hard. I don't want to be, you know, if somebody starts a business that's just like yours or I have somebody open up a show down the street, that's hard. Right.

It's a threat.

And I'm scared. And my fear goes up. And maybe I'm not going to partner with them because all of a sudden that's a huge threat to me. But I'm going to call Ashley or I'm going to call this other expert and say, how can we make it easier for the buyer so they don't have to go to eight different shows? Maybe we just have a shuttle between our competitive shows because they're going to show up no matter what. I just don't want to make it harder for them. It's hard still at some point, some situations. So I do get it. But I do think that nine times out of ten, we can, we can help one another.

I think so, too. I think there's always an opportunity. But I think to your point, like, you still have a boundary to a certain degree.

I do have a boundary, and I think that's important. Right. And we were, you know, it's funny because our company, you know, and off price, we were competitors over a year ago, and then our company acquired off price. And I would always talk to Tricia, who operates off price, even though we were competitors. Right. Yeah. But her value proposition is so different than magic projects and sourcing. It wasn't like a knockoff or we were, you know, doing the same exact thing. Her off price model, I don't really offer that here. So that was okay. And we were always friends. And now that we're the same family, we get to work together and bring all of you more value. It's just a good example.

I almost jumped off my chair when you told me about that. I was so excited about it because I talk about off price a lot.

Yeah.

And just it's such a different value proposition. But for a retailer who needs to make margin, needs to make profit, like there's a real opportunity there.

It's incredible.

And I think sometimes there's like, maybe not as much vantage point into how that side of the industry works.

What's a jobber?

What happens to unsold merchandise? I mean, boutiques have unsold merchandise. So do our vendors.

Yeah.

And we can't have a healthy buying model from our vendors if our vendors aren't healthy themselves first. So there has to be a better partnership. Between the retailer, wholesaler, manufacturer, there's so much opportunity there.

And I'm excited to dive in a little bit more with the off price team. I mean, if I think about it, my Coterie exhibitors have an off price business. Even though Coterie is a high end contemporary women's show, there's so much that I can support them with their off price business. So lots to come. Exciting stuff.

I love it.

Yeah.

Our industry is changing so fast.

It is right now. We got to keep up.

There's a lot going on.

Yeah.

So your vantage point, like, let's just talk about what do you see that's working? We'll talk retail and wholesale. The economy is changing. It's an election year. There's just a lot of different things going.

It's a tough time. Let's go. Yeah, it's been tough for some.

On the wholesale side, what do you see that's working best for your brands right now?

I think just a point of view. I think ultimately a point of view. Less is more. Curation, not trying to be everything to everyone. Really leaning in. We've talked to Lauren about really leaning into your niche and your community as a brand. And I think that a lot of them are figuring that out right now. You know, they have so many samples and so many different. They're trying to target so many different audiences and it's like, know your girl, know your shopper, you know, know your person and really lean into that. Give them styling tips. Like, it's just. It's got to be more niche now. And those are the brands I see really doing great job. Quality. So looking at different sourcing opportunities in countries to manufacture and they're really focused on the quality and I think working with the boutique owners and the buyers. Those, those ones who really work with y' all best.

Yeah.

And they're accountable to you and they deliver on time and, and you know, they, they have great opportunities for you. So I think those are a few of the brands that, you know, that model obviously across different, you know, with the contemporary people versus the trend people. It kind of. It differs a little bit from segment to segment.

How about on the retail side? What do you see retailers coming to the shows saying to yourself or to your team about, hey, this is what's really working for us. Right.

Multiple streams of revenue. I mean, obviously. So having E. Com, having live, having. I mean, maybe not live, but your own, you know, Instagram, having Facebook, having your brick and mortar, having that, like just. We all kind of just got to work a Little bit harder for the same amount of money. Right now. That's just the way the world works. Because right now they can shop at a million different places. You know, my model was, when I started, 18 and a half years ago, a buyer had to come to a trade show to buy. Now they could buy online. They don't even have to buy on an online marketplace. They can go on social media and reach out to the brand. My competition.

Yeah.

Is not off price. My competition is the Internet, the accessibility they can. The whole world has changed. We all have to work harder to be able to sell our product. And we. It's just a different way of thinking. Right.

It kind of goes along with the importance of setting an experience when you're here.

Yes. Adding more value than just buying and selling.

And I think that's true for you and for the shows, but it's true for every retailer. Like, it's not about the widgets you sell. No one remembers what you sold them. They remember how you made them feel. When they can master the emotion of the sale, then it's a sticky relationship. But you've done that here. How have you really pulled in experiences so that both your retailers and wholesalers are happy and they remember and they have the experience and they want to come back.

Yeah. Our team is incredible at understanding this community for each of the shows because the project people want something very different than the magic people. Very different. The coterie people and sourcing. So the brand team, the experience team, the commercial team, they lean into their customer. What do you guys love? You like glam? You want a DIY experience? You like pink and purple, whatever it is. Right. And we lean into that so hard and we keep talking to you and understanding our customers. So every show we can change the experiences based on your ever changing needs. What are your problems? That's what I'm going to do for my programming and my content on the stage. You know, Ashley, last show you talked about this. People really need you to talk about this. Coming. Can you talk about this? In a couple minutes, I'm going to interview Jacqueline Johnson, the co founder of Create and Cultivate. People need help to understand how to be nimble and create those experiences. So I think it's just knowing your community, like you said, and constantly pivoting based on their needs, what they're into, you know, and like, we know the magic people love Instagram Instagrammable moments. That's how we love that encotary. They're like, no, like, they don't need it because they just don't they rather have very elevated, different experiences that aren't based around Instagram? It's just a different thing. Right, right. And so just understanding what everybody needs.

I love that.

Yeah.

So it's been a big, big year, big show, big 90. So for anyone who doesn't know the history of the shows, bring me back. How did Magic begin specifically? And talk about the anniversary.

Well, in 1934, when I was born. When I was just a little child growing up in Calvas. No, we started in 1934. And it started out, wait for it. Magic stands for men's Apparel Guild in California. It started off as a men's nonprofit little fashion pop up in Palm Springs. Isn't that so cool?

Yes.

And it's so incredible. It grew there to la, I think, went to the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, and then eventually came out to Las Vegas. It was all men's. Then we launched women's, Then we launched sourcing, and it evolved after that. So incredible. Such a huge. I mean, we have always been a leader in the B2B fashion space and the business of fashion. And just to see the evolution, I'm so proud of, to be a part of this for the past 18 and a half years. And, you know, it has evolved so much. The men's community is really important to the Magic brand, and that's important for us. Even though the majority of what's happening in Las Vegas is women's, the men's community is such an important piece. So we constantly are making sure that we're talking to them, supporting them. Totally different businessmen. Yeah. You know, but yeah, really cool to celebrate that this year.

It's huge. Yeah, you've. It's huge.

Opportunity. My God, you guys can't make this up. We're delirious at this point.

Oh, my word. Okay, so there's been, I think, something you have always done really well, starting in customer service. You listen to your customers. What have been some changes in the last couple of years and what are some changes we can look forward to in the upcoming years that you've gained from listening to your customers?

What's.

What's happening?

Yeah, so my customers are the brands who take the boost and all of you, the buyers who come and shop the shows. And so it varies a little bit, I think, for the brands and having the experience at the shows. You know, they want us to bring them the right buyers and so really the quality and they want to make sure we're bringing the right buyers because that's changing for them. So I'M constantly trying to figure out how can I reach the right buyers that they're looking for. And that's a lot of marketing, and that's a lot of us creating retail relations that goes out and. And. And figures out who we need to bring the ship. So it's like a matchmaking process. So that's been new over the years, right? We used to say, register now, register now. We have to be more intentional. And so for the brands, I think that's my number one priority. And that's gotten really great feedback because they're like, gosh, this time you brought us those 72 targeted stores we needed from this region because we were seeing. We weren't really seeing too much of the Northwest, and we needed this. I mean, it's region. It's who they want to hang with at retail. On the buyer side, it's been so interesting because it feels like more selection on what shows. There's a lot of shows, a lot of places to buy. You need the right brands. You want to make sure that if you're going to spend the amount of money, you want to get the roi. So hearing these are the. If you want me to come to the show, I need to see these brands. Also cost savings. So these regional shows that we've created, we have seven magic shows now a year. It's unbelievable. We have totally changed our model. We used to just do two shows in Vegas and hope everybody came, but now we're coming to you new. We're going to the south twice. We're going to Miami, we're going to New York. We have fully changed our model to be able to address the buyer's needs and the regional play and your budgets and how we show up. The brands that we show in Miami should be very different than the brands I show in Nashville. Playing into those communities, what works, you know, in Miami, they like a little bit more Miami diva Cha Cha, you know, like glitz and glam. And then when you go to Nashville, we need some more boots and denim and casual. And so it's really curating the collection based on all of the buyers needs. And so that's a totally different change for us. I mean, blending so blending some more of the accessible price point with some more of the branded brands and allowing you to shop, you know, very differently. We have home, gift and beauty, footwear, accessories, apparel, and you can do that all in one space. You don't have to go to a gift show, and then you don't have to go to a footwear show. Let me just give it all to you and some kids. And then so it's like a one stop shot. So you leave here going, wow. Between the education, all the brands, and the assortment they gave me, all the networking, I really got my bang for my buck to go to that show. That's my goal in life for you guys to feel that way when you.

Leave very heard, very hard, and have.

A good customer service experience, not wait in lines, you know, so we have to really pay attention to the operations and the logistics of all of it as well. Yeah. Yeah.

Boy, this has flown by. We've been checking. Yeah, we can forever.

We better wrap this up.

I have got a lightning round. Are you ready?

Yeah, let's do it.

Okay. Favorite place to stay in Vegas.

Oh, gosh. I'm gonna sound so bougie.

Be bougie.

Okay, well, I am a little bit. I love the encore. If I'm gonna, like, really splurge. Encore is just like, it feels fancy, so I think. And it's quieter. Like, it's quiet for fun and, like, being really hit by, like, the Aria. Yeah. Good spot, good restaurants.

Favorite restaurants in Vegas. Ooh, catch.

Is always a good one at the Aria. I told you. Cipriani I love. Yeah. At the Wynn. And, oh, the new one, the new hot spot, you guys, is poppy steak at Fountain Blue or Fontainebleau, however you pronounce it. So fun. It's a Miami spot. And if you haven't been in Delilah at the Wynn, it's amazing. It's like 1940s. Like, singers, like, very Jessica Rabbit.

Fabulous. You had a dinner there. I think I came to your dinner there once. Beautiful.

Amazing.

Yes. How about favorite guest you've ever interviewed on stage?

Oh, my gosh. You.

Here's your 20 bucks. I'll flip it to you later.

I don't know if this is. This is not interviewed. But introduced.

That's a better question.

I mean, I almost lost my mind when I introduced Ludacris and Nelly and Busta Rhymes. Like, I can't even pick. I sometimes go like, is this my job? I have crushes. I had crushes on all these singers, you know, when I was in high school and college.

Yeah, I love that.

Yeah.

And Nelly, I think, spread a few germs.

You guys, he was so sick. Performed, and then the next week, the world shut down. We're like, okay, so that was great. He was so sick.

And your mom comes and I was here.

My brother's here.

Oh, yeah.

It's a family affair. So good. So cool. To show them what we do. And if our kids are able to come and see that, it's pretty special.

See it full circle. Well, that leads me to my last question. And this is always the big question. And when I talk to retailers, I always say, like, you know, it's not about selling things and widgets and just like the business that we're, you know, so deep into right now, but it's about the big picture. So you get down the road 30 years, and you're on the front porch, your kids have kids. There's, you know, a whole future. You're probably past this point in your career, and you look back and you're telling your grandkids about this life you lived and the journey you've been on. And I'm a cry. Maybe ludicrous, maybe not ludicrous.

Maybe flow rider who I met yesterday on the show. Florida almost died. Okay. I love it.

So you get to that point and you're telling them the story. What's the thing you want them to remember the most about you and how you lived?

Oh, God, Ashley, I'm gonna cry. I want them to know I was always authentic and real to everybody. Not just, you know, my family, but I hope to my friends and my employees. I want them to remember I always kept it light. I wasn't very polished, but I hope I was funny and put some laughs. And I tried my best. I tried my best, and I hope I was a really good role model for them. Yeah. And even though, you know, it's like, life is so hard. People are so mean. People are mean. And I just continually showed up and as the bigger person. Okay, I'm out.

Kelly, thank you so much for being a part of this first podcast. Love you to pieces. You guys that are listening online, thank you so much. And we're gonna have to do this again live studio audience.

It's really fun. Thank you guys so much.

Oh, my gosh. Round of applause for Kelly Helfen.

Thank you. You're amazing.

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