JOURNAL

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Woman of Influence….WHAT?!

Holy wow, it’s been a crazy amazing few months, mainly – just crazy! I’ve been trying to write this email for a while and it’s just been too busy! So here I am on a humid Saturday afternoon reaching out to say hi, thank you, and so grateful for this amazing life you’ve helped me create!

I got a phone call from Josh Cross at the Chamber of Commerce sometime in March, as a client was walking in the door. He told me I had been nominated, and won, the award of Woman of Influence for 2023. I laughed. I felt like I was listening to him from another dimension. I hung up the phone and helped my client. As soon as he left, I danced a little dance then promptly started sobbing. I felt honored, shocked, and just floored. I had nominated someone else, Zoe Zappas, as I’m so grateful for the changes in the art scene and overall hip vibe she brought to our town. She has moved on and I’m so proud of her and can’t wait to see where life takes her as we move forward with the progress she brought. And her family, Max and her dad, Mike Zappas, who won Citizen of the Year, they continue to bring changes to our downtown.

But I was chosen as the Woman of Influence. Still floored. It feels weird to type this out. As I said in my acceptance speech, I keep thinking of the saying “It takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to raise a business” – and a vibrant community. By you guys getting out there and supporting local, we have something REALLY COOL going on in our town and I see new businesses popping up and I know more are in the works. The Glass Door Boutique, Rumor Goods, The Pottery Community Studio are a few of my new favorites. Anyways, I have joined the downtown community with the mission to yes, have my business be successful and support my family, but to also do what I love and to help our ENTIRE community succeed. I was so grateful to see Josh Cross’ familiar face on stage, as well as Mayor Heather Moreno’s speech and Angela Cisneros’ words read. And Chris Thompson’s face behind the camera flash. It was a huge crowd but it was full of loved ones, so, once I took a deep breath, I was able to talk to a sea of people I knew, and it wasn’t so scary. Your faces, your support, have helped me feel loved, accepted and appreciated. THANK YOU!

And in shop news, I finally pulled the trigger on the line I’ve drooled over for the past 18 months, but it was a big leap – and I finally felt ready and knew you’d all appreciate it! Sometimes style and fashion are baby steps, it’s hard to see ourselves in something very different than what we are used to, but I feel the trust and the love for unique eyewear in our community so I did it! SO thankful for the rep’s patience as I agonized, and I truly feel embraced by the independent eyewear community. Proudly announcing THEO Eyewear. Pronounced Tay-oh, made in Belgium, with hours and days of attention to every detail, Theo is made with the individual in mind. The rep told me that they don’t make posters with beautiful models wearing their frames, because they want their frames to be individually yours, to be expressive of who YOU are, not idealized on perfection. Embrace our uniqueness. Check out my window for their frames, or better yet, schedule an appointment to try them on! Bright, vibrant, but weirdly sooooo flattering!

See you soon!

xo, kyla