1. First off, congratulations on another shopping party season with the fashion truck, did you enjoy some down time over the Winter, what have you been up to?
We had a good winter but I feel like it was sooooooooooooooo long. We broke it up with a trip to Florida over Christmas, we had the best weather for the time of year. It was so nice to get away and sit in the sun for a couple weeks and just decompress. I loved Florida, I had never been. I’m a west coast girl so we always went to California.
2. At the start of every season, I notice your super motivated and inspired, you recently gave the truck a beautiful makeover, can you tell us a bit about that?
The beginning of each season is always super motivating for me. What sparks me most is figuring out new ways to make the business bigger and better than it was the year prior. Considering last season, it shouldn’t be that challenging. New baby, broken ankle and a few curveballs made 2017 the hardest year yet. Recently, my husband and I gave the truck a facelift. We refurbished the floors, decorated with palm leaf wall paper and painted the walls to give it a fresh and bright vibe. It was time for a new look inside and every time I step into the space, I'm given the motivation I need to keep this business thriving.
3. Are there any other changes you’ve made this year? Can we expect new brands or anything different?
You can always expect new brands, out with the old and in with the new. We definitely have some favourites and those ones will stay but we always add new ones as we discover them and move forward.
4. What are your favourite brands on the truck right now and why?
Free People - no explanation needed. Brunette the Label for its fun, babes supporting babes movement, plus we always love Canadian based brands.There’s so many good ones it’s hard to choose.
5. Who are some designers that are really catching your eye right now?
I’m not a designer obsessed person, I see odds and ends from different collections that I love. In general, I like to find treasures, something I can’t live without and not something that everyone has or wants.
6. You’re a very goal oriented person and it’s clear that you want the brand to expand. What do you envision for your company?
That’s a huge compliment, most of the time I feel like a hot mess. I definitely work well under pressure so when crunch time comes, I always deliver. Becoming a mom was a game changer for me. Eddie is obviously my first priority, so there is always so much pulling me in every direction when working and caring for my child. Sometimes I'm spread super thin, so I actually surprise myself when I get so much done. All in all, I hope to see the brand drastically grow over the next year. I’d love to expand, whether it be turned into a franchise or open a store location. I’d also love to focus more on building the online store, the online shopping shift has been so major that it’s definitely a very important component to the business.
7. A baby, running your own business, your plate certainly is full. How do you do it?
Not sure most days - coffee, coffee coffee, wine, repeat. Lol.
8. We welcome in new customers on the regular, what are a few things that you hope that they can take away from our shopping experience?
How personal and unique the experience actually is. We love to get to know and understand our customers. In fact, a lot of them have become friends. Also, styling and trying new outfits is something we really focus on. We also pride ourselves on a relaxed atmosphere, never any pressure to make a sale, we want people to adore their purchase.
9. Social media presence is so important in this day and age, talk about the fashion truck community and what everyone’s support means to you.
Social media is probably the most important aspect of this company and business. It’s how you find out where we’re going and when, what we’re doing and when we get new inventory. Without it, it would be almost impossible.
10. What is new on our social media channels that all of our customers and followers can look for?
This season is off to a super busy start and we’re already starting to book for Fall. New this season is the “Highlight Reel” on Instagram. It’s a great way for us to let our customers know what’s coming up in the months ahead. You can find all the upcoming public events in the Highlight Reel just below our bio, they’ll be posted at the beginning of each month.
11. Shopping parties and personalized styling is going to be the major focus this year, can you fill everyone in on what their experience would be if they were to host...
We definitely encourage people to #bookthetruck. It's hassle free. Why? Because it doesn’t cost a thing, the hostess rewards are great and it’s a shopping experience you won’t get anywhere else, we promise. We function as stylists and we want you to love what you wear so our end goal is to send you and your friends away knowing that you received great service and quality products. In the end, we hope you tell your friends and family. Word of mouth is always important. Wine and shopping? Who doesn’t love that.
Thank you to Ashley for taking the time to do this, and thank you to all of you for reading and following along. We have some exciting blog posts coming up, so make sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for everything Fashion Truck Canada. Bye for now babes!
Kayla xoxo