We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicole Varricchio-Molinelli a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nicole, appreciate you joining us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

My Mother is my Inspiration has she taught me, when life gets tough, you get tougher!

She was a single mom who hustled to make it all happen. Working 2&3 jobs, buying a home, putting my sister & I through Catholic School, and all things in between.
She showed us that hard work even though tough times pays off, & there was nothing we weren’t capable of achieving.
Moms words…there will always be people with more & there will always be people with less……we need to be happy with what we have.
Words I live by!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My love for Fashion & Clothing started in the early 1990s with weekly visits on the A-Train to The Village in NYC, West 8th, Broadway,SoHo… It shaped me & inspired me, but I wouldn’t know just how much until my late 40s.

In My 20s I worked on The Trading Floor of The NYSE for 13 years, My career on Wall St was nothing short of Amazing.
In my 30s I was a stay at home Mom. Being a stay at home mom & raising my 2 children was dream come true for me, there is no greater title in my Life then MoM.
My 40s brought me to Waxhaw, North Carolina.
A beautiful place to raise a family & opportunity to start something I had inside of me, that I didn’t realize I needed to share with others…My love for fashion, art, & music. I’m following what’s inside me, it comes naturally, I don’t rush my ideas, I take my time, I’m learning as I go along. I make mistakes, I change my mind I forget my ideas(there are many.)
The relationships that have formed from this Boutique are priceless…and I know I have found my purpose.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

This is all came to be as I saw there was a need for clothing retail in my town. It happened organically. I started with space in an antique store, two rolling racks and overtime, What I was doing grew into something more and when the opportunity presented itself I went for it.

Within the first two months of Opening 88A Boutique my personal life took a turn in a different direction. 88A has been my saving grace, it has kept my mind busy, my ideas and creativity flowing and has allowed me to support my two children and I. Make no Mistake it has been one of the toughest times in my life so far. Always going back to my Mothers words…In tough times you have to be tougher!
I’m just getting started….

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I don’t follow trends. I just create a space with clothing for all people in all age groups from teen to young adults, middle age to my seniors. Music plays a big part as well, songs & lyrics follow us through life they take us back to moments in time. My space represents that from Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Biggie Smalls, and everyone in between!

A Great Outfit & Song…Nothing Better!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @88aboutique