The Desert Is In Bloom
As part of The Fierce 50 Revolution, we want to introduce you to real women who are accomplishing their dreams. I’m so excited to introduce Claudette the owner of Desert Bloom, a fashion boutique in Tucson AZ.
I couldn’t have been more excited to see a new boutique open 5 minutes from my house as I love a good boutique! The good news, is that it’s next to the grocery store I shop at. The bad news, is it’s next to the grocery store where I shop. LOL The shop has only been opened since April and I’ve already done some major damage!
This fabulous boutique has something for everyone at any age. She buys from unlikely places like Australia, Germany, Canada, Yugoslavia and Vermont. In talking with Claudette during my numerous trips into her shop, I learned that this is her 2nd location. Her first location is in downtown Tucson, which was opened 2003.
Claudette’s story is inspiring and I wanted to share it with all of you.
Her Story
In 1992, she moved to Tucson with her husband. Shortly after arriving to Tucson she and her husband divorced. At the time, she was working for a garden/home goods shop in downtown Tucson. Right after the divorce she learned that the owner of the shop she was working at was going to close the business. The owner asked her if she wanted to buy the business. As Claudette tells me, she was a single parent with 2 kids and one starting college, a new car and many new bills. She goes on to tell me that she was not a business person. Note, she was a teacher in a past life. She didn’t know how to use a computer (She thought it was something you watched Oprah on! LOL) and claimed she had no employable skills. Claudette said she was in survival mode, so without thinking it through she bought the business.
Always having a passion for fashion, she evolved the shop from garden/home goods to a fashion boutique. 14 years later she has a thriving business in downtown Tucson and just opened her second location up in the foothills by me. Not a business women?? I think not!
The Best Part Of Claudette’s Job?
Claudette said that she hasn’t worked a day in 14 years. Wow, how many of us can say that? I asked her what the best part is about her job. She said, “My job is to make sure you look like YOU on your very best day”. She’s done that for me and others. I watch how she interacts with her customers. Its’ not unusual for one of customers to say, “I would have never picked that for myself.” Claudette has a great eye to know what’s going to work and not work.
Claudette’s style philosophy? “If everybody’s got it, I don’t want it or I already had it two years ago.”
While I was in the store last week I saw an outfit that I wanted, but wasn’t sure if I liked how it looked as I’ve been trying to lose the same 10 pounds for 2 years! Claudette said….” buy like a guy”. I asked her what she meant. She said, “men feel entitled and love themselves no matter what they look like, so don’t worry about the 10 pounds, love how you look now and buy like a guy”. I love that! That is my new mantra. So, I bought like a guy. Here’s what I bought…
Thank you, Claudette, for spending time with me and sharing your story. You have a new fan and evangelist for Desert Bloom!
While she doesn’t have a website yet, if you liked an item you saw in this post, you can call her and she will ship out to you. Phone # is 520-792-9882. Or you can check out her Facebook page here
Note: All opinions are completely my own. I was not asked by anyone to do a review and did not receive any compensation for it.
