Meet Shannon Vivo | Boutique Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shannon Vivo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shannon, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
My mom tells a story of taking me to a big ballet audition when I was young. I was very intimidated & at the last minute told her I wanted to back out. Being the supportive mom that she is, Bonnie didn’t force me into anything and we left. When she got to the car she turned around and I wasn’t there; I’d turned around and gone back in to audition. Risk taking has never really scared me. Well, I shouldn’t say it doesn’t scare me, but I don’t let the fear of risk taking hold me back. I actually have a lot of fear and anxiety that I work through. But there’s a switch that I’m able to flip on within myself when facing fear/risk. I’ve come to think of it as what’s the worst that’s going to happen? I fail? Taking on a business that I knew nothing about was a big risk. But I had the confidence in my work ethic & creativity to believe that I could figure it out. The result has been a career I am passionate about, a renewed sense of self, getting to work with my family and being my own boss. I’d take that risk any day over being at a job I didn’t love looking back in 20 years thinking “what if I had tried it?” If you need help channeling your inner risk taker, I suggest listening to Brené Brown’s Ted Talk about the man in the arena. You’ll thank me later.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
At Initial Styles Personalized Gift Boutique we strive to make gift giving easy and joyful. We take the stress out of shopping because we know that everyone already has enough on their plate. So our boutique is the place to come where you can cross off several items from your gifting to-do list: teacher appreciation, baby & bridal shower, wedding, birthday, housewarming gifts – we have something for just about every celebratory occasion. The fact that we can embroider to make gifts personalized means that you will always look like a thoughtful gift-giver and your gifts are sure to be the talk of the party. Of course the past year has not been an easy one for anyone including small business owners. What allowed us to not only survive during the pandemic but come out the other side thriving has been our willingness to make it work no matter what along with the support of our customers. We hear so many stories of loss and sadness, but there are so many of joy and love as well. Our loyal customers and members of the community stepped up to help small businesses in a myriad of ways. Every order that came through allowed us to take a small breath of hope. There were many other ways people stepped up including engaging & sharing on social media, spreading the word about our new pick-up & shipping options, leaving reviews and sending messages of encouragement. Spending hours in the store all alone was tough, but the outpouring of support made it feel a little less lonely.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Our little town of Jupiter has so many hidden gems and so many great surrounding areas that there is always something to explore. If I was showing a friend around town for a week I would make sure we hit all the great food spots – Papa Kwans for breakfast one day, Berry Fresh for brunch on another, you have to hit Guanabanas on the water for lunch and can’t miss the view at 1000 North for dinner. Speaking of being on the water, you have to spend at least one day out on a boat to cruise the intercostal or rent kayaks at Riverbend Park. The Loggerhead Marine Life Center is always fun & educational (they clean baby turtles with toothbrushes)! And my personal favorite way to relax would be a day at The Eau Palm Beach reading a book in the swinging chairs between spa services.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Hands down my mom is the one who deserves credit & recognition in my story. My mom is the queen of getting stuff done. Something needs to be done? Do it. Something needs to be fixed? Fix it. Someone needs help? Help them. She has always gone out of her way to do this and has never wanted recognition for anything, because she just sees it as always doing the right thing. It’s quite simple, actually, but I don’t see these qualities present as strongly in others as I see them in her. It is an honor to be able to work next to her everyday and I am still learning so much from her about business, parenting, marriage, life…everything!

Website: www.initialstyles.com

Instagram: @initial_styles_monogramming

Facebook: www.facebook.com/initialstyles

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/initial-styles-jupiter-3

Image Credits
Eve Greendale – Palm Beach Creative