We recently connected with Samantha Balzano and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Samantha, thanks for joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

Typically, in the fashion industry, most companies are largely focused on their profit, but at Hues of Violet we always value people over profit. We have made it our mission to be an affordable place to shop, which makes us stand out from most other boutiques in the industry. We have found that many customers are hesitant to shop at boutiques because they have a preconceived notion that they are always expensive, and they are pleasantly surprised when they see our prices and our quality. Our goal is for our customers to feel like they are shopping with a friend, and are never pressured to buy something they don’t love. Shopping for quality clothing as a young adult can seem very difficult, which is why we strive to provide this for our customers at an affordable price.

Samantha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Fashion has always played a huge role in my life. I grew up a short train ride from NYC & have always felt that fashion was a guiding light in finding myself & expressing my personality. I have a background as a retail buyer & store manager for a boutique in Virginia & through my experience, I discovered a need for a brand that truly focused on helping others find & build confidence through fashion. I am passionate about building lasting relationships with my customers and wanted a brand that prioritized people over profit; thus, Hues of Violet was born. Our brand focuses on being a friendly place to shop at an affordable price. We work together with members of our community to highlight other artists and small business owners in our area. You can find monthly pop-up vendors in the store offering crafts and services from tarot card reading to permanent jewelry. Our community is the backbone of our company and we love giving back to them as much as they give to us.
We also strive to be fully shopable online as well, so you can find weekly try-on sessions and unboxing of new arrivals on our social media. We hope this helps our customers to feel confident shopping from down the block or across the country.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Something I say frequently is that no one is successful on their own. Building a community around yourself that supports your business is one of the biggest keys to being a successful business owner. If it wasn’t for how much we participate in our community and lifting up other business owners we would certaintly not have been able to build our brand as fast as we did.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When you first start a business, everyone around you is going to offer their unsolicited advice. Whether it be what to buy, your store hours, advertising strategies, etc. the opinions are going to come pouring in. It is of course important to listen to others advice, but I learned very early on that you can not spend your time trying to please what others want. In the beginning, I was trying to make everyone happy and deliver what they wanted to see in my store, but the more I followed my gut and listened to what I thought was right for us, the more successful I became. You are the only person who truly knows what is right for your business, so it is important to listen to your gut and follow your instincts.

Contact Info:

• Website: huesofviolet.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/huesofviolet

Image Credits
Sophia Pruett Joyful State Creative