People who inspire for all kinds of reasons, small or big.
There are folks in my life who have inspired me to be better. They’re my mentors. My teachers. My heroes. They’ve shared their knowledge with me, patiently and gracefully. Some are older. Some are younger. Age doesn’t seem to matter. All are wise and doing what they love. Once in a while, I’ll be chatting with them about what makes them tick and sharing their stories with you. I hope you’ll feel energized by their insights. And, one day, perhaps you’ll be my next featured wanderer. wonderer. creator.
April Artist Feature: Sarah Azzouzi
I met Sarah around ten years ago at a yoga studio in Chicago. We were both donating our time doing various jobs in order to get free yoga classes. Upon meeting her I learned that she had graduated from my alma mater, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I became fascinated with her as a young woman creating a small business in the world of fashion. Her and her business partner wandered around the city streets in their vintage van making "pop-up" stops to sell their vintage clothing. She promoted their shop, called "Lost Girls Vintage", entirely through social media. Her knowledge of internet marketing was so great that corporations would call on her to teach their employees. I knew one day we would work together, I just didn't know how at the time.
Today, Sarah's Lost Girls business is booming. With two retail shops in Chicago, her, her business partner and their team of employees have built a community of fans. Sarah is still a social media master, and I hired her to become part of my team as my web developer and social media expert. So far, she's developed my andreoniart.com website and helped me create my own Instagram community. I'm excited to see what other ideas she has in store for the future. Wondering more about Sarah? Read on...
(Diane) Hi Sarah! Would you mind telling us about your Moroccan background and what brought you to the United States?
(Sarah) My parents both came to the US seeking a better life with more opportunities for them and their future kids. We moved here when I was 6 months old. We went to Morocco once a year for the entire summer throughout my childhood.
Sarah's childhood photo taken in Morocco
(Diane) My husband and I recently visited Morocco. It's a beautiful country; I was inspired by its vivid colors—from spices to textiles. What is your favorite memory from your childhood summer visits?
(Sarah) We would spend most summers on the beach with our entire family. Those were always the most fun days. We didn’t do much else except spend days with our cousins because we were children when we went back.
(Diane) How did you become interested in retail?
(Sarah) I’ve always been obsessed with fashion and clothing. I knew I wanted to work for myself from a young age. I discovered I have a skill for talking to strangers and making new friends and that’s really how I view retail. It’s just building a community and providing a service.
I studied fashion, fibers, and millinery in college with a minor in fashion history. I started selling derby hats I made after I graduated and dipped my toe in owning my own little business. That eventually progressed into selling vintage clothing. I’ve been selling vintage for almost 13 years now, ten years with Lost Girls.
Sarah's Derby Hats
(Diane) Your hats are beautiful!. Very chic! I love fashion, too. Even though my closet is stuffed--with clothes, shoes, scarves, purses--I still wear the same outfits over and over; I guess because they’re comfortable and fit my style! The caftans that you have for sale on your site look super comfy. And I’m guessing their designs and sparkly colors were inspired by your Moroccan heritage? If so, do you hope to add more Moroccan inspired clothing to the Lost Girls modern fashion line?
(Sarah) It was the combination of Moroccan and vintage that inspired the Caftan Collection. I’m not sure where it’s going to go next! So much of Lost Girls is inspired by Morocco so I wouldn’t be surprised if it crept in again.
Lost Girls Caftans: left. Design Inspiration: right
(Diane) Lost Girls has expanded into other sales items besides vintage clothing. Can you tell us more about why you did this and how you choose the partner brands to sell on your site?
(Sarah) We sell vintage housewares, handmade jewelry, local art, accessories bath and body products. We pick items that we're drawn to. There's no real rhyme or reason behind the things we pick. We like to support small businesses and we like the items to be sustainably made.
Lost Girls sells housewares, self-care products, jewelry and artwork, too!
(Diane) What is your philosophy when it comes to building a virtual community? And how important is it to the success of your business?
(Sarah) Be yourself. Use your actual voice to write the captions. Share your thoughts, opinions, feelings on social media. That’s what sets small business apart from big business - that it’s an actual human behind the voice. I’ve noticed that a lot of larger businesses have shifted into that mentality as well.
It’s very important to the success of our business. When we first started it was the only way to let people know where they could find us since we were a mobile shop. Now it’s an easy way to update our community on events, new products, and business growth.
(Diane) I see your brand as personal and relatable. And, I like your style—it's a modern take on vintage. Besides virtually, what are some other ways you are growing your Lost Girls brand and its community?
(Sarah) We like to host a lot of community events and workshops. We want to hangout with our customers! They're cool people.
Lost Girls Community Events
(Diane) What do you see as future trends in social media? And how do you wonder about how these trends might help you grow your business?
(Sarah) I think the trend of reality vs an overly posed curated feed is going to continue. People want to actually like the person they’re following as opposed to aspiring to be them.
I see myself sharing more of the behind the scenes of Lost Girls - the good and the bad. Continuing to share how we feel about certain political things and also voicing our opinions on what we believe is right. People want to spend their money with companies that align with their goals. That’s an important to me as well as a consumer.
(Diane) Finally, Lost Girls is a success on-line and in Chicago. How do you plan on growing your business outside of Chicago into other US markets, and perhaps internationally as well? For instance, wouldn't it be fun to open a store in your home country of Morocco? ;)
(Sarah) I don’t think people quite understand vintage in Morocco yet! Used clothing is still seen as a negative there. But we do sell internationally online and are hoping to expand our business in other ways. We like to go with the flow and try not to plan too much into the future. We like to be open to opportunities.
(Diane) Going with the flow and being open to opportunities is great advice for how to live life, too! Congratulations on building a successful business and personal brand. I'm excited to see what the future has in store for you., Sarah. I know one future thing will be your wedding day. Yay! You'll make a gorgeous bride wearing what I'll bet will be a Lost Girls vintage gown.
Check out Lost Girls locations and store hours below and on their website lostgirlschicago.com. Happy shopping!
