Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Grace J. Park. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Grace J., thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
If you asked me in college if I ever wanted to be a business owner, I would’ve said absolutely no – but, cut to 2025 and I’m the Founder of Park Avenue Styling!
After college, I took a year to really think about what I wanted to do in the fashion industry and I came to the conclusion that I wanted to learn more about styling. I choose this because I honestly love shopping and I wanted to use what I was good at to help people.
I started interning with a personal color/style consultant, which is truly where I gained the confidence to network and reach out to more stylist’s to learn more about the industry and how to style clients! After a couple months, I got another job as an assistant to a stylist and this was the job that made me realize that I had so much to offer and start thinking about what my own business would look like.
The name Park Avenue was always something that stuck with me since high school because my last name is Park and it was short and simple! Once I knew that was going to be the name of my business – I shared the name and the fact that I wanted to start my own styling business with my friends and they were truly my biggest supporters and such a big part of how I was able to start my business so quickly.
I started brainstorming a moodboard for my branding and I wanted it to be fun and authentic. Once that was created, I shared it with OutBrandThem – who helped create my website + gave me social inspo to start curating my instagram to align with my branding! Truly couldn’t have done this without them!
I was confident in my brand and the brand’s beliefs because the fashion industry wants to treat people’s bodies like trends and sell people things they don’t need by relying on FOMO (the fear of missing out). I think it’s disgusting to prey on others insecurities and fears to sell to people – when you can help people gain more confident and stand strong in their authentic self. This idea builds a strong foundation for my brand for the present and future.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I studied Apparel, Textile, and Design at the University of Idaho, where I developed a deep passion for fashion and discovered the wide range of career opportunities the industry offers. When I graduated, I knew I wanted to work in fashion, but I wasn’t sure exactly what. After a few months of unemployment and plenty of pros and cons lists, I realized styling was my true calling.
Determined to get my foot in the door, I reached out to 15 stylists in Seattle to inquire about job opportunities. I received 12 non-responses, 2 rejections, and one “yes.” That was all I needed. I packed my bags and moved to Seattle, where I worked for the stylist who gave me that chance. After a few months, I gained the confidence to network and build more industry connections. This led to a job as an assistant stylist, where I learned the ins and outs of the styling world—everything from photoshoots to client management.
That experience sparked the realization that I needed to bet on myself and trust in my own vision for my brand. So, I took the leap and founded Park Avenue Styling. I offer personalized 3 styling session packages: special occasion+travel, signature style and REstyle – all my services include a shopping session for my in-person clients! I offer another service that’s great for those on a budget or don’t want to fully commit to a stylist – it’s called the Celebrity Lookbook and for $45/Month, you can choose celebrities to view the lookbooks for and shop their looks! In short, I do it all when it comes to style!
What sets me apart is that I don’t believe in changing my clients—I believe in empowering them. I want to help people embrace their authentic selves through clothing that reflects who they are and aligns with their personal brand. I’m most proud of the values that Park Avenue Styling stands for, and I take pride in staying true to those principles.
What I want potential clients to know is that I understand styling is a deeply personal experience. I only want to step in if that’s truly what you’re looking for—I would never push a service that you don’t need.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn is waiting for directions and a step-by-step tutorial on how to do things.
As a first time business owner, I had to learn to step into the mindset of a founder and step out of the mindset of an employee/assistant.
When I was first starting my business, I was still in the mindset of being told what to do and when to do it by – so I had to actively break that to successfully show up as a business owner mentally and physically. It’s so important to show up and believe you are who you want to be to become that person in the future – so this was really important for me to unlearn.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Personal experience has significantly impacted my management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy. I have experienced both good and bad management styles and know the effect that it had on me, so i had a good base of references for what kind of boss I wanted to be. Through a bad management style, I learned the importance of bringing others up and helping those within the same community and career. You shouldn’t fear competition or try to bring others down for your benefit – you should always want to teach and help those that are helping you because there is so much room in every career and everything is a learning opportunity. Take the bad and make it a good lesson you can use. For example: when working with others, you can see where the miscommunication comes from and what kind of effect it has – so you can use that knowledge to make sure that you can help prevent or reduce that.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Park Ave Sign – OutBrandThem