“The biggest risk I have taken was opening a business in a time of economic uncertainty. Not during covid, but 19 years ago. I learned about operating a small business and in my early 30s an opportunity came up. I thought, if I wanted to do something else, what would it be?
I had a friend who acted as a business mentor, and I would bounce ideas off of him. I had one idea of buying a bus, going to restaurants, and taking all of their used glass bottles and recycling them into tiles. And he was like, that’s ridiculous. You’ll never make any money and you’ll kill yourself trying.
Then I had an idea for a little vintage thrift shop. My friend pointed out White River Junction. At the time, there was very little going on there. So, I thought I could spend more in marketing and try to get people to come to White River. But that didn’t work out. After the first four years, I was going to close the business.
I think it wasn’t financially successful because I was running the business by myself with little resources. I took a bigger risk than I should have. But we really did contribute to the community. It was basically a little clubhouse downtown – people were sleeping there, and we had we had punk bands playing. It was very open and experimental.
My now business partner asked, what would it take to keep Revolution going? I said, if we are looking to invest in a genuine sense of community, then let’s do this.
We have organized benefit events to support local organizations, especially those led by people of color. We have done fashion shows with all shapes, sizes, ages, and genders. It becomes a bonding experience with people overcoming insecurities and getting an opportunity to show off their sassiness. It’s a space where people can do whatever they want.
The thing is, I don’t really care about clothing. I don’t care about pop culture or fashion. It’s just that sometimes, people and these objects intersect in a way that make them feel really good and beautiful. We love that. Selling clothes is about making people feel welcome and having an open space for them. We also get to host and have fun in a beautiful space. And I still love going to work every day.” – Kim Souza, White River Junction, VT
