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It’s no secret that I’m in love with the super cute shop, Gracie B. (And it really didn’t help that they expanded to have a physical shop space in Kansas City.) Look at all the dresses, tops and coats I’m wearing from the shop. Obsessed much, I think so. Or the shop owner Grace is completely tapped into my style. For February, I also happen to be the Gracie B February Style Crush, which is a pretty fantastic feat in itself! Well anyways, on to the good stuff, one of you lucky ducks will get to win $35 credit to her shop!!

{MEET GRACE}

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you started up shop.
gracie b. has been a work in progress for as long as I can remember. I worked for various retailers for the first decade of my career. I have done a little bit of everything ranging from buying to distribution to planning. More importantly, I have always followed fashion very closely. A border-line obsession, really. So when I realized I would only be happy working for myself, creating a clothing brand just made sense. If you’re going to go it alone it might as well be something you really want to do! My site got started while I was working on my MBA. I had started the business plan on my own years prior, but being back in school gave me the confidence needed to take the leap. During the last year of my studies, I met a professor who was as passionate about entrepreneurship as anyone I’ve ever met. She really inspired me to get going with it. So, I used that last year of my degree to refine my marketing strategy and business plan, and about a week before my last class was over I launched shopgracieb.com. It was a moment I will not easily forget. After that was a blur. Sales started to pick up, I put gracie b. in a local boutique and it immediately did well. I got nominated and then won a Small Business Award by my local Chamber of Commerce. And, this was all in the first year! I stuck with my full-time job for as long as I could but last Fall I finally decided to take the leap. The way I look at it it’s either going to work or it isn’t, but there’s no point in wasting time trying to find out. So far, things look promising.

2) Describe your shop in 3 words.
whimsical, feminine, inspiring

3) What are your favorite trends for this Spring?
Color, and, lots of it! I’m digging the bright monochromatic looks as well as palette pleasing pastels. Prints: bold stripes and chevron-style graphics. Sheer layers. Frilly hems. A-line and full skirt dresses.

4) What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
DQ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard. We live within walking distance from a Dairy Queen and it takes all the self-control I have not to stop by daily.