We recently connected with Wendy and Morgan Russom and have shared our conversation below.

Wendy and Morgan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

Most people do not know that 216 Collective is so named because my mother’s birthday was February 16th (216). It was actually Morgan’s idea to name our business with my mother in mind. Although she never had the opportunity to know her grandmother, she knows what an impact she had on my life in 14 short years.

I remember thinking that my mother could do anything, and she did. She was always there for anything I needed, supporting me all the way. She dedicated herself to her children and was so self-sacrificing. It is because of my mother that I am strong willed, hard working and have the sheer determination to overcome any obstacle thrown at me, including losing her and battling cancer. She instilled in me honesty, loyalty and responsibility.

I believe I have passed on those traits to Morgan. I am incredibly proud of her strength and determination and her ability to dig in and stand her ground. I hope that she can say that I did those things right.

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?

Growing up in the 70s, I always liked dressing up. I would save my allowance and when we went to the mall in a neighboring town, I would spend it on something to wear every chance I got. There were not many retail stores to choose from in the small town in grew up in, but I managed to get my first job at one of them. I realized quickly that some styles come and go and some are timeless. I like both.

When Morgan was born, I always dressed her head to toe. She loved to shop with me and really gained a fashion sense early on. Fashion was one of those things that helped bind us together and still does.

We began talking about someday owning our own boutique when Morgan was in junior high or high school. When she graduated, she attended Wade College in Dallas and graduated with her Associate Degree in Merchandise Marketing. She attended Texas State after that and decided to attend Avenue 5 Institute of Cosmetology in Austin. There she found another passion. Morgan has developed a great sense of putting it all together. She knows who she is and has a style that conveys perfectly.

I have enjoyed our shared adoration for fashion for many years now and look forward to continuing so in the future. We love exploring what is new and figuring out ways to bring those trendy pieces into our collections. We also carry those timeless staples that will last for years.

We really enjoy helping women gain confidence and feel good about themselves. Looking good is just a part of that.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Starting a business from the ground up is not for the faint of heart. After much discussion about how we would go about starting our part-time business, we located and purchased our RV, spending months turning it into our Mobile Boutique. After the renovations, filing the appropriate paperwork, we located markets and pop-up opportunities near us, We took off a couple of days from our regular jobs and went to market to purchase our initial inventory,

We learned quickly when the inventory is received, it requires inspection, hanging, steaming, tagging and adding to our inventory. There is a ton of work that goes into opening, not just on day one but every day thereafter.

We were mainly open only on Saturdays, some were good days and some really stunk, but we could not allow ourselves to get discouraged. Saturday after Saturday, we kept showing up, doing our thing and gaining more and more customers. I guarantee you, we appreciated every single one of them.

Getting comfortable driving an RV was a challenge. It was a trick to get it into place sometimes. We also had some unforeseen repairs we had to make to the RV itself, but we just kept going.

Last September, we moved into our own space inside of MAKS Mercantile in Salado. Now, we are able to be open 7 days a week. It has made a big difference for us.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I felt there was too much pressure to have a loan payment held over my head when we could only work weekends in the beginning. I was fortunate enough that I had socked away enough money to go into business without having to take out a loan. Mind you, it was stressful and difficult to let go of hard earned money, but I had to keep thinking about our dreams. Investing in us and our vision was an easy decision to make.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shop216collective/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shop216Collective
• Other: https://www.maksmercantile.com/collections/216-collective