Sunday, October 10, 2010

a small town girl

maxi dress
song of the day: 'don't stop believing' by journey
i took pictures in a lot of different places today, but these were my favorite. i love the faded yellow boards and the blue in the shipping pallet. works so well with my black and silvery gray dress and the blue of my shoes. i bought this dress on my birthday and thought it was so cool that i couldn't pass it up. no matter that i had no idea how i'd wear it! but it's super comfortable and kinda fun in its sheerness.
so i'm actually behind the old post office down the street from my house. it's such a neat building. the inside is so awesome with old wood floors and stained glass windows. i wish that it would be turned into a lounge/music space for the college students. it would take a lot of work and money to get it up to code but it would be so fun to put this place to good use. the previous owners couldn't keep up with it so the bank repossessed it and now the building stands empty. i've thought about having a fashion show with my vintage clothes in there. it would be the perfect space for it. its big and open and worn and cool. i think a lot of people around here are afraid to put effort into these old buildings. it takes a lot of money and work and faith in the community. i mean, years ago our downtown thrived. and then something shifted. it was before i moved here so i don't know what caused it. probably the addition of a huge highway on the other side of town. but something in our downtown died. when i was in school, there was nothing to do here. main street was dead and no one came here. then there was a change. people started buying old buildings and making them into coffee shops and flea markets. it's taken a long time but now we have a downtown to be proud of. a vintage shop (mine!) and an art gallery, brick oven pizza, mediterranean restaurant, book store, scrap booking shop, and on and on. around here, those of us who have chosen to open a store downtown, we're very proud of what we've accomplished. there's still A LOT to be done. all the time, people come into my shop and say 'wow, i had no idea this was here!' and they've lived here all their lives. we have to change the way they see their small town and the way they shop. some times it's frustrating. sales are down, traffic is down, and the city won't put forth the effort or the funds to help us. but then, someone will come in the shop and say how much they love it and that siloam needs it and it's really cute. that makes me feel so good. like i'm in some small way helping my town succeed. i'm not out to make a ton of money or become famous. i just want to make a difference in one small town in northwest arkansas.
maxi dress
maxi dress
maxi dress
maxi dress
maxi dress
maxi dress
details:
dress-vintage, thrifted
shoes-target

11 comments:

Suyinsays said...

you are super gorgeous!
hope youre okay, long time no speak (my fault entirely!)
i got style spotted in london the other day and am in a competition on facebook now! and i NEED NEED NEED YOUR vote!
this is the link:
http://apps.facebook.com/impulsestylehunter/

and im the first girl on it in the purple coat! please tell all your friends on blogger and on facebook to vote for me as well! the prize is £250 in lipsy vouchers!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANKYOU!
lots of love
suyin

Anthea said...

Love the dress and that fact that you wore leggings with it. Great location as well.

Anonymous said...

hey sweets! love this post...way to not give up. so many times, it's just takes one or two people to believe in something...your efforts are paying off and people notice! one of these days, it may mean something more. stick with it. you're amazing! :)

Ashley [Free Honey] said...

It sounds like you are really making a difference! I think that's what you need to try and remember on a slow sales day. And you've picked an excellent theme song (I <3 journey) so that should def help, right?

I love the drapey bow/scarf on your dress. Options are so good to have.

xoxo, Ashley

Rebecca Maureen said...

how cool! love it in a bow :)

Pull Your Socks Up! said...

What a lovely post and well done you for putting so much effort into getting your little town back on its feet. A vintage fashion show sounds amazing - you could invite stall-holders to come and sell their wares to - could raise quite a lot of interest. I love your birthday dress - such beautiful textures and colour combo - the blue shoes are ingenious! xo

Robyn said...

I love that the dress is a mixture of very conservative cut and sexy sheer material. It makes the whole thing unique, and interesting. I love the blue shoes as well. I am also down for a post office nightclub.

C said...

Ooh, great pictures. What a fabulous dress!

Kimberellie said...

Love this post. Love this dress. Gorgeous pictures.

I love how you are making a small difference. And that's what you want. That's how I see life too; if only one person is helped, it's enough. If more people made a small difference it would make a HUGE difference.

;-)

myedit said...

I love finding great little nooks to take picture and I love pride in hometowns. I am so attached to where I live and when something good happens, I always do a little cheer inside!

KristiMcMurry said...

I would absolutely love to see things like your shop in our downtown. We have a few good things, but they are all spread out. There's a great local diner, the farmer's market, a coffee shop, great hair salon...but no vintage! I would love to see a vintage store in my town. I love the yellow in the pictures! So great