Meet Vanessa Tella | Boutique Owner

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

Hi Vanessa, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The idea of starting my own business came to me shortly after my husband and I got married. I had taken some time off around the wedding and when I got back to work after our honeymoon, as I settled into my normal routine, I really started thinking about what my next career move was going to be. At the time, I was working in retail as a department manager for one of the largest department stores in the country and while I loved my job I could feel myself craving a new challenge. Every day at work I was surrounded by brands that I loved and I think it ultimately inspired me to explore the idea of launching my own brand. I’ve always been fascinated by fashion. Prior to working in retail, I got my bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising, so I had a little background on what it would take to start my own “small business”. I immediately started researching and brainstorming what my brand would look like. I told myself that if I still felt passionate about it by the end of the year I would open my own boutique.

In early 2020, as retail stores began closing and limiting their house due to the pandemic, I suddenly found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands. I saw it as the perfect timing and opportunity to launch Seams Ladylike as an online boutique!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Seams Ladylike is for the everyday cool girl. I started this business because I wanted to provide attainable, curated-collections for ladies like me who want to elevate their wardrobes. I truly take so much time picking pieces to ensure everthing is going to be a staple in your closet. I work with brands to provide quality pieces that are elevated and cool, yet effortless. I want you to be able to to wear everything over and over again.

I think something that sets me apart from others is the knowledge I gained when working for a big retailer. One of the most important parts of my job was to really engage with my customers to see what they were looking for and ensuring we had it there each time they visited. Since then, a big focus of mine has been to serve my customers with that same practice, I want my current and new customers to see Seams Ladylike as their fashion destination!

I’m most proud of how far Seams Ladylike has come and how much people love it. We do a ton of pop up’s and one of my favorite things is engaging with customers in person. It also makes me extremely excited to hear people would love to shop Seams Ladylike in a free standing boutique – we’d love to get to this sometime soon!

It was definitely not easy to get to where I am today. At times, I felt like I really had no idea what I was doing. I sometimes still feel that way! But one of the lessons I’ve learned is you can’t compare where you are to someone else’s journey. I always have to remind myself to enjoy where I am at the moment and with hard work, I will get to where I want to be.

I want everyone to know that they are the “everyday, cool girl.” I want to empower everyone to be the best versions of themselves and whatever “Ladylike” means to them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Here are some of my favorite spots you can usually catch me at:

– A day of shopping and eating at the Design District – I love the chicken sandwich from Coop and drinks from the MIA Market bar
– Love laying out at the beach in Fort Lauderdale
– A dinner at Heritage in Fort Lauderdale
– A night out in Brickell

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to give credit to my husband, all my friends, and family. My husband has supported me and pushed me to pursue my dreams. If it wasn’t for all my friends and family’s support, I would not be where I am today. They’ve helped shape me and become the person I am.

Website: www.seamsladylike.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seamsladylike/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seamsladylike/

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