- Words by TessVan StraatenPhotography by Lia Crowe

Devon Bird never thought of herself as an entrepreneur, but after launching a successful clothing store in Sidney two years ago, sheB次元官网网址檚 now preparing to open another boutique next doorB次元官网网址攁nd she couldnB次元官网网址檛 be happier.

B次元官网网址淏uilding this business and being connected with what I love to doB次元官网网址攊tB次元官网网址檚 not a job,B次元官网网址� says the 31-year-old owner of Moden Boutique. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 entirely consuming in the best possible way. IB次元官网网址檓 doing exactly what I want and what I should be doing.B次元官网网址�

Devon started working in retail when she was just 16 years oldB次元官网网址攊t was her first jobB次元官网网址攂ut despite her love of fashion, she didnB次元官网网址檛 think it would be her career.

B次元官网网址淚 always worked in retail because I liked the discount, and it was somewhere I felt comfortable,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚 got my degree in sociology with a concentration in health and aging, and I thought I was going to run an assisted living facility for independent seniors.B次元官网网址�

But after getting into merchandising a few years ago, Devon found her passion and decided to push herself out of her comfort zone. She packed up her life in Vancouver and moved back to her hometown of Victoria to open up Moden, which means B次元官网网址渕atureB次元官网网址� in Norwegian (a nod to her grandmother who came to Canada after the Second World War and had a unique fashion sense).

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not an age to me, itB次元官网网址檚 a mental space,B次元官网网址� Devon explains. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 really relate to my millennial generation much, so mature was a state of being, a state of mind, a comfort in oneselfB次元官网网址攁 mature place to be. You know who you are and youB次元官网网址檙e living that truth and thatB次元官网网址檚 what Moden meant to me.B次元官网网址�

That philosophy, of being true to oneself, is also how Devon is running her business. But itB次元官网网址檚 a lesson she had to learn the hard way.

B次元官网网址淲henyou start a business, you donB次元官网网址檛 have somebody telling you whatB次元官网网址檚 right or wrong, and I think I started trying to be everything to all people,B次元官网网址� she admits. B次元官网网址淎fter I opened, people would say, B次元官网网址極h, the store is too emptyB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址榶ou need to carry thisB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址榶ou need to carry thatB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址榳hy donB次元官网网址檛 you carry skirts?B次元官网网址� and I would think, B次元官网网址極h gosh, I need to carry more skirts and dresses, I need to do more evening stuff,B次元官网网址� and it started to impact the vision I had for the store, which is everyday comfortable dressing.B次元官网网址�

Devon felt like she was being pulled in too many directions and had to stop, re-evaluate, and learn to trust her gut.

B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 let people tell you who you are,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淵ou need to know what your business is about. And itB次元官网网址檚 a reflection of you, so you have to be true to that, and everythingB次元官网网址攆rom how you decorate to what you have in the storeB次元官网网址攈as to come from that vision, or the message is totally lost.B次元官网网址�

For Devon, who says she always thought sheB次元官网网址檇 make a better employee than employer, learning to run a business has come with a steep learning curve. But she says the key is not being afraid to ask questions.

B次元官网网址淚 think what you learn is that you have to be quite shameless and ask questions and not be afraid to look silly,B次元官网网址� she advises. B次元官网网址淚 had to really get over not looking qualified, which was a very humbling experience. But it was also encouraging to see how willing people are to help you when you do ask.B次元官网网址�

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic just 15 months after she opened the store posed a unexpected and unique challengeB次元官网网址攐ne that many new businesses struggled to survive. But itB次元官网网址檚 also been a valuable learning experience.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 made us more nimble and one of the positives out of COVID-19 is that peopleB次元官网网址檚 habits are broken up,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淣obody wants to go to a big mall full of people now, so theyB次元官网网址檙e looking for their outdoor shopping centres; theyB次元官网网址檙e looking for their local, independent boutiques.IB次元官网网址檝e been so encouraged to see people coming back, people really worried about my business and buying gift cards or shopping online for the first time just to support me.B次元官网网址�

DevonB次元官网网址檚 so encouraged, sheB次元官网网址檚 planning to expand and open a new storeB次元官网网址擬oden Essentials, which will carry lingerie, loungewear and basicsB次元官网网址攊n March.

B次元官网网址淥pening a business at anytime is a risk, but you mitigate that risk by being really clear,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淎re you offering something that people need? I want to continue to do what Moden did, which is offer whatB次元官网网址檚 missing and I think the next space that could really be elevated is lingerie and lounge.B次元官网网址�

It all comes back to DevonB次元官网网址檚 approach to business and lifeB次元官网网址攌nowing who you are and being authentic.

B次元官网网址滻f youB次元官网网址檙e doing exactly what youB次元官网网址檙e supposed to be doing, youB次元官网网址檙e using your skills and your heart is in it. So itB次元官网网址檚 really difficult to fail because youB次元官网网址檙e using all of your strengths and putting that out there,B次元官网网址� Devon says. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 really the key to success.B次元官网网址�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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