We recently connected with Kathleen Goldstein and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathleen, thanks for joining us today. One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

Seeing the waist fast fashion contributes to landfills and the unhealthiness of synthetic materials drove me to open this little shop offering natural fabrics and biodegradable packaging while sourcing vendors who use ethical practices. The biggest unexpected problem is that the minute you mention sustainable fabrics and ethical practices the prices increase by about 2 00’s! My goal was to offer organic products at an affordable price which has proven to be so difficult. I have been a victim of “green washing” where I’ve been told the products were 100% cotton only to receive obviously synthetic fabrics then having to fight and tie up hundreds of dollars to return them!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been a realtor for 45 years and when I semi retired, I decided to fill time by helping a friend out at a local boutique. In that three months I noticed mountains of plastic being thrown into the waist bins (unrecyclable plastic packaging). She was doing a booming business as prices were very reasonable. I realized that everything sold there was synthetic. I had been practicing sustainability in my home for a couple of years by then and was pretty appalled. When I was done helping her out, I decided to open a boutique of my own but keeping it eco friendly. My motto was “Saving the planet one bag at a time”! I opened the shop and THEN delved into sustainable practices and learned much about fabrics. My first venture into the fashion world was a fashion convention, MAGIC, where I sought sustainable vendors. I found that there were few too none and connected with a few Indian companies that used vegetable dies and 100% organic cottons, silks and linens. The cost of the lines with shipping was very high but I felt it was a necessity to achieve my purpose. I marked up the items very conservatively as to make them affordable however, there were many defects and sizing was all wrong. A costly endeavor. Over the past year, sustainability has become a buzz in the fashion industry and I have found a few local vendors and am able to adjust prices which is encouraging more sales. I was becoming insecure about creating this dream when Glendale Green Business found me on Insta Gram and they just certified my shop a Green Business! I am in the process of building my SM presence and am hopeful that more eco minded people will find me.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was lost as to what I wanted to do “when I grew up” and I had a baby to support. While I had a pretty good first job in HR, I was encouraged to go into Real Estate in 1979. I became “Rookie of the Year” in my first year and grew from there. Pivoting became a regular occurrence in this business from a buyers market to a sellers market to 19% interest rates to market booms then to bursting booms. One year business was so bad that I made Christmas ornaments to sell at a fair in order to give my cild a Christmas. Contracts and laws changed on the regular. When I started we used a 1 page handwritten contract with buyers and seller today the documents are 3 inches thick and all signatures are done electronically. My social circle was enormous as every client became my friend today there is no real interaction with clients everything is done electronically which I do not abide by, I was a real hand holder.. 5 years ago I had an accident and underwent surgery and went on disability for 3 years. Upon my return the changes were too much to acclimate to and this would be my last pivot as I now work with another Realtor gingerly handing over to her all my clients as they call in. This left a gaping hole in my lifestyle, hence, the sustainable Boutique; Joie De vivre Style! Now I am pivoting constantly again trying to find eco friendly products, customers and shop help. My daughter is soon to be 50, pivoting is my way of life so it seems. Learning to pivot is a must in any business practice. Keep your eyes on what’s trending before it becomes the trend. You must constantly be learning and growing and adjusting as you go.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I am currently building my website and am hopeful that it will help drive sustainable minded people to my shop. Until this takes off, I am building the old fashion way, by supporting new small businesses and encouraging them to develop green practices. I refer everyone to Glendale Green Business in hopes that they too can join my crusade. This has helped spread the word of my little shop. In my effort to be green, I do not print receipts, I email them. My POS system captures the addresses and I send out personal notes thanking them for shopping with us and invites to every event in the City. Soon they show up with a friend. I have joined all of the Chambers of Commerce around me and am very active attending meetings and donating for their raffles. There are many events in the City and I open my doors serving wine and treats to all the passerbyers, this has also been helpful. In keeping with my theme, I hold a “Sip and Swap” at every season. Women bring their gently used cloths to the shop and swap cloths while sipping wine. I feature a new small business that is eco friendly and all unswapped items go to a few of the local women’s shelters. This has become a community event and has also increased my client loyalty. It’s all old school but nothing is more effective than a personal touch!

Contact Info:

• Website: jdvstyle.com
• Instagram: @jdv.style
• Facebook: jdvstyle.com
• Yelp: Joie De Vivre-Montrose, CA

Image Credits
I certify that the attached photos are credited to Kathleen Goldstein and Kristina Veranian…