Throwback to three years ago right around this time and you’ll find me getting ready to attend my first CURVE Expo Lingerie Trade Show in New York City. That was where I went to Bra Fit School and met with lingerie vendors for the first time. I hadn’t decided definitely whether or not to open a shop and this trade show helped me actually decide.
Three years later, and with two and a half years of JOY under my belt, I am getting ready to go to Curve again. This time I won’t be alone as Courtney and Julie are coming too! It feels good to be going with a team… Amazing that this little bra shop of a company has turned into one that can do such things. Courtney has been working on the schedule and we are wall-to-wall with vendor meetings. We have a list of specific things we are looking for to bring in new or expand at the shop including bras from every age of the spectrum – I’m serious…we need more teen bras and old lady bras…they are both on the list!
Courtney, Julie and I have had some very real planning sessions for CURVE (I guess you’d call them meetings…) that remind me of back when I was in the music business and we’d have meetings to basically prepare for, well…meetings. We are heading down to NYC with a “sleepwear strategy” and a whole lot of other big picture thoughts in mind. Three businesswomen from Manchester, Vermont heading to the Big Apple for a lingerie trade show, don’t you just love it?
In order for the three of us businesswomen to go to CURVE, a lot of
ducks have had to be in a row. Shifts had to be covered – thankful to Lila, Connie, and Katherine who are all switching a lot of their schedules to work extra next week. (Honestly, we have the best staff…) Courtney and Julie needed to find people to care over their kids while out of town – I don’t know all of the details of this, but whoever is taking care of their children, pets, and homes while they are gone…thank you. I’m not kidding…THANK YOU…I know this trip impacts a lot of lives.
We’re heading down on Sunday. In addition to all of the “work,” we are thinking about dinner reservations (ethnic!) and who to try to grab coffee with. I’m looking up some of my music industry pals and contacting Zoe and Co. out of my home state of Rhode Island to see if they want to get together. This bra shop (Zoe and Co.) has been so righteous to me since the day I called them up and asked if I could come by and pick their brain back in the spring of 2013. This was after CURVE and at that point, I had wheels in serious motion to open a shop. That shot of me in the bra is the very first one ever taken. I was standing in their dressing room. Boy, have my eyes opened up since then.
We’ve come a long way, baby – so much for which to be grateful. Comment or whatever with any questions or thoughts on what we should look at while at CURVE…or in NYC in general! Currently seeking Indian food restaurant recommendations…
I’m finishing this up on Thursday night and listening to Snow Patrol.
Yours in music, and bras, and eyes wide open,
Joy
