When I look back at everything that has happened in the past year, I truly have to pinch myself at how far I’ve come.
Two years ago, I left working for Chanel and Nordstrom’s Collectors department because as we all know, the pandemic changed everything. I founded my in-home styling business years before everything shut down and had shopped with clients for over 15 years, but after COVID, my styling business exploded. One might think that it would have slowed down, but for me, that is the complete opposite. Everything went to the next level. My clients who regularly shopped with me in-person were now calling and wanting to redo their closets or start the process of cleaning out. Everyone’s personal style began to change to much more casual looks and my clients who went into the office started to do zoom calls and needed a new look or were tired of the usual work look.
When everything opened back up, I decided not to return to my former job and take the leap of faith - doing my own business full time. One day, I got an idea to start recording what I do. Mostly because of the rise of social media and people looking at influencers and content creators now more than ever. At first, I must admit it was a bit of an internal struggle to do it. I wondered, “who would want to see a 50 year old woman” after comparing myself to the 20 somethings online. However, I thought, “who cares?” I am in my own lane and I have been helping clients for years. Someone will care.
One day, I got a random phone call from my pastor at church who said, “I have a girl who just graduated from fashion school and could use a mentor. Would you mind talking with her?” I said yes and met with her, thinking it would just be a simple coffee date, but I ended up hiring her on the spot and having her come with me to all my appointments. I called the Instagram series “Come with Me,” showing the behind-the-scenes aspects of my job like all the different clients I work with, shopping together at various stores, cleaning out closets, and lesser known facets of my business. I didn’t know what to expect, but I posted my projects online and hoped someone might enjoy them. Little did I know, the power of Instagram was huge and that thousands of people would like my little “Come with Me” videos.
I got over 100,000 views on Instagram and companies started to approach me offering partnerships to sell for them. I had no idea these companies would want me to represent them, nor did I dream that I would be attending fashion week and going to NYC 5 times a year with clients for work and to see clothing lines. Literally this has been the dream of a lifetime coming into fruition. At the time when all this started happening, my husband and I sold our home in Minneapolis and had plans to move to Naples, Florida. I had no idea our home would sell in only two weeks. So when I first began working with these brands, I scrambled to figure out where and when to begin showing, basically being homeless, with our home in Florida at the very beginning stages of being built. I decided to take the Trunk Shows to my clients homes instead and we set up racks in their homes, literally going home to home all day with multiple racks full of clothes. It was hardly an ideal situation, but we made it work.
I literally did not have a plan at this level, I just wanted show clothes and innocently kept saying yes to opportunities that were put in front of me.
The business started to take shape and I was well on my way, however, I needed a full time spot to show my lines. Traveling with racks of clothing was exhausting - and needless to say, back breaking. I had no idea that after lugging clothes around house to house that my business would grow exponentially. I ended up needing a full time showroom. I didn’t realize the gap that I was filling in the Twin Cities and that women were so tired of shopping online and could not find a place to shop without long check out lines, waiting for fitting rooms, and crazy Twin Cities traffic. They wanted a personalized styling experience, which is my speciality. So for the next trunk show, I rented various Airbnbs in Wayzata.
My clients from years of selling remembered my successful store called “Lyric” back in the early 2000s and I thought, “why not do it again?” After I settled into the idea that my home in Florida was going to take at least two years to build, I found a full time showroom to serve all my clients and trunk shows. I’m now open 6 days a week for both in-person styling sessions and fittings. I have the most incredible spot on Lake Minnetonka in Wayzata and every day I come into the office, I can’t believe what a whirlwind of a year it’s been and how fast my business has grown.
New clients are finding me every week online and word of mouth has been my secret sauce.
After only being open for only one week, Ali Caplan (the editor in Chief of @tcbmag) and Grant Whitaker (style fashion director) did a story about me that aired on the radio. The buzz around my store opening was so exciting and I was thrilled that they even knew about it! Then, the Minneapolis-St. Paul magazine featured me in a full-page for their Best Of Summer issue this May. Talk about a dream come true! More than anything, I thank my lucky stars daily. The Showroom has been such a labor of love and I’m so grateful that my clients love to come here, they feel comfortable, and most importantly, continue to shop week after week with me. I have finally (re)-found my spot in Wayzata and plan on staying in this location, with plans to open a second location in Naples, Florida. I have items that are not available in the Twin Cities and offer a full styling experience like no other.
Over 20 years of styling has led me on the most wonderful path and I’m once again so grateful I get to see my clients in-person again. I can dress them for business needs, travel, and weekend looks from my Showroom.
So many more exciting partnerships have been made since I opened and new brands are being added every week. I am so incredibly happy I get to do my passion in life and elevating my clients' looks is what I live for. When they tell me they love their looks and are getting so many compliments it makes my day. Thank you to everyone who has helped make my dreams come true. It's truly amazing what a year can bring. Looking back at how hard I have worked in my career to make this a reality makes me even more excited at what next year will bring. Stay tuned for a future E-Commerce website, a second showroom location in Naples, Florida, and so much more coming soon!
To even more amazing adventures,
Jessica Hilde
