wow, oh wow… are we ever excited for this post!!!!! Our dream is coming true…. I’m pretty sure that each time I come to our studio I get the goosebumps… I tear up… and then I take a breath and open OUR DOOR!!!
Since I was a little girl I have always wanted a store… a business…
I read a storybook about some friends opening a bakery… I remember reading it in my front tree … visioning myself opening a bread store… what would I call it… what would we sell… maybe coffee and bread… I would play store… Then I wanted a clothing store… then something so natural to me such a photography started to fall into my lap… I wondered how I could ever have my own shop with photography… then we started to learn a bit about Boutique Photography Studios… it was like fireworks to my heart…. ahh haaa! this is what we will do… it’s going to be so great!!!!!!
I remember in college I took a course to steer me in the right direction of a career… I told them I wanted my own business with a store… my professor laughed in my face and told me I needed to find a real job… I told him it was a real job and that he was wasting my time!!! From there I worked to get experience! I traveled… being inspired by shops all over the world.. I worked at stores… Erika B on St. Armand’s… I learned about running a store…. then I worked at Pastry Art on Main Street… I learned how to manage a business in a very stressful setting… then I worked at Main Street Traders on Main Street… it was there that I learned A LOT on running a store… I went to Markets in Atlanta to shop for the store… I went to seminars learning everything I could about marketing… I started to love marketing.. placing things in the store and observing customers as they appreciated my marketing techniques… I loved it so much that I knew I had to take a huge risk of saying goodbye to my secure paying job of being the store manager to pursue my dream of having a family business as a Boutique Photography Studio….. I worked with a woman who told me such a fantastic quote of a friend of hers (Isaak Mizrahi… the designer) he said to her, “I’m not afraid to fail because I know I will succeed.” That stood out to me… I haven’t looked back and I know we will be a success without a doubt! It’s because of our amazing family and friends backing us & believing in us and our fabulous clients loving us so much and telling the town about us that we are where we are today… and we thank you all so very much!
thank you Marmalade Salon & Boutique
stickers from my girls.. little reminders as I am working of what life is all about…
This is so awesome! Congratulations Kollene!! Hopefully one day I will be able to come and visit you so you can photograph my wedding! It would be such a treat!!! Best of luck in your new digs!
it looks wonderful! and we all know that your business will be even more successful with the studio being open. of course everyone already knows what talented photographers you and mattias are. cheers!
thanks Mama!!! thanks for always believing in me! 🙂
and Alicia… I would be HONORED to photograph your magical day!!! xoxo
Congratulations, mama! Your studio is so gorgeous and I am so very PROUD of you. You had a dream, you followed it, and you have arrived. A beautiful story, a beautiful business and a beautiful person. This post made me smile from ear to ear!
thanks so much Mama Bird! very sweet of you!!!