say?”
Tanisha narrowed her hazel eyes and gave Simone a discerning look. “You did it again! It’s not like you to zone out like this. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing. I just have a lot on my mind. The boutique is growing faster than I can handle and I think I’ll need to hire more help but it’s a matter of finding the time to do it.”
Her friend and manager rolled her eyes. “Well , I’ve been telling you that for the past several months. But your problem is that you’re too much of a micro-manager. You brought me on to run the shop , but you basically do everything yourself anyway. You’re here from open to close. You have orders coming in for more of your exclusive designs and you haven’t replaced the assistant who used to help you with them. On top of that, you’re still working on the online store and you’re design ing an exclusive line for next season. How the hell do you think you’re going to pull that all off by yourself? You’re only one woman. You’re going to work yourself into an early grave , if you don’t watch yourself.”
Simone released a sigh. Her friend was right. Ever since she’d realized her dream of opening up her boutique Ragz which catered to people of all sizes and style choices from the very edgy to the more classic and sometimes a little bit of both. Fashion had always been one of her passions from an early age, mainly because she had an eye for what worked for her and what didn’t and the skill to create clothes out of scraps was born out of necessity. Simone’s mother never took her shopping at any department stores or even any of the major discount retail stores except for Easter.
Frieda claimed buying new clothes for a growing girl was a waste of money even though her sons had all the latest name brand clothing and sneakers that cost an obscene amount of money. The majority of Simone’s wardrobe had consisted of hand me downs from the charity bin at church or thrift store items. Around the fourth grade , the other kids seemed to be aware of what was fashionable and what wasn’t and Simone had been teased mercilessly for it. What she wore had become a source of despair for her. She obsessively looked through fashion magazines whenever she could get her hands on them and imagine d herself in the pretty clothing her classmates wore. She found ways to make each outfit look new by mixing and matching so the teasing wasn’t as bad. It was in seventh grade Home Economics class where she learned to sew and she was good at it. She borrowed books from the library on designing and fashion and there grew a better understanding of how to make vintage clothing look great. Simone began to sew accessories on to her clothing.
What took her love for fashion to the next level was when she became the companion for a member at her church. Mrs. Hargrove had made it known around church that she was looking for someone to keep her company and run errands around the house. None of the kids wanted to work for Old Lady Hargrove because of the perpetual scowl on her face and blunt way she addressed people. Frieda had volunteered Simone saying it was the Christian thing to do. Simone suspected her mother wanted her to spend time with Mrs. Hargrove because the Hargrove’s had a great deal of money and the church counted on their tithes.
It turned out that being Mrs. Hargrove’s companion was the luckiest thing that had happened to her. The older woman actually turned out to be the mother figure Simone had always hoped for. The best part was learning that Mrs. Hargrove had once been a costume designer on the black vaudeville circuit, before meeting her husband. When Simone expressed her interest in clothing and fashion, Mrs. Hargrove had taught Simone everything she knew.
By the time she was fourteen , Simone was making her own clothes. By then she could purchase a few outfits here and there with the money she earned from being Mrs. Hargrove’s companion. While she enjoyed
Tanisha narrowed her hazel eyes and gave Simone a discerning look. “You did it again! It’s not like you to zone out like this. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing. I just have a lot on my mind. The boutique is growing faster than I can handle and I think I’ll need to hire more help but it’s a matter of finding the time to do it.”
Her friend and manager rolled her eyes. “Well , I’ve been telling you that for the past several months. But your problem is that you’re too much of a micro-manager. You brought me on to run the shop , but you basically do everything yourself anyway. You’re here from open to close. You have orders coming in for more of your exclusive designs and you haven’t replaced the assistant who used to help you with them. On top of that, you’re still working on the online store and you’re design ing an exclusive line for next season. How the hell do you think you’re going to pull that all off by yourself? You’re only one woman. You’re going to work yourself into an early grave , if you don’t watch yourself.”
Simone released a sigh. Her friend was right. Ever since she’d realized her dream of opening up her boutique Ragz which catered to people of all sizes and style choices from the very edgy to the more classic and sometimes a little bit of both. Fashion had always been one of her passions from an early age, mainly because she had an eye for what worked for her and what didn’t and the skill to create clothes out of scraps was born out of necessity. Simone’s mother never took her shopping at any department stores or even any of the major discount retail stores except for Easter.
Frieda claimed buying new clothes for a growing girl was a waste of money even though her sons had all the latest name brand clothing and sneakers that cost an obscene amount of money. The majority of Simone’s wardrobe had consisted of hand me downs from the charity bin at church or thrift store items. Around the fourth grade , the other kids seemed to be aware of what was fashionable and what wasn’t and Simone had been teased mercilessly for it. What she wore had become a source of despair for her. She obsessively looked through fashion magazines whenever she could get her hands on them and imagine d herself in the pretty clothing her classmates wore. She found ways to make each outfit look new by mixing and matching so the teasing wasn’t as bad. It was in seventh grade Home Economics class where she learned to sew and she was good at it. She borrowed books from the library on designing and fashion and there grew a better understanding of how to make vintage clothing look great. Simone began to sew accessories on to her clothing.
What took her love for fashion to the next level was when she became the companion for a member at her church. Mrs. Hargrove had made it known around church that she was looking for someone to keep her company and run errands around the house. None of the kids wanted to work for Old Lady Hargrove because of the perpetual scowl on her face and blunt way she addressed people. Frieda had volunteered Simone saying it was the Christian thing to do. Simone suspected her mother wanted her to spend time with Mrs. Hargrove because the Hargrove’s had a great deal of money and the church counted on their tithes.
It turned out that being Mrs. Hargrove’s companion was the luckiest thing that had happened to her. The older woman actually turned out to be the mother figure Simone had always hoped for. The best part was learning that Mrs. Hargrove had once been a costume designer on the black vaudeville circuit, before meeting her husband. When Simone expressed her interest in clothing and fashion, Mrs. Hargrove had taught Simone everything she knew.
By the time she was fourteen , Simone was making her own clothes. By then she could purchase a few outfits here and there with the money she earned from being Mrs. Hargrove’s companion. While she enjoyed
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