TOPSHELFDIVA OF THE MONTH: LA CHICTIQUE BOUTIQUE OWNER SHANNON PETTYJOHN

April 5, 2017 by iamsummerterry

Hey Divas, I’m so glad to be bringing back the TopshelfDiva of the Month feature. There are soo many strong, intelligent, creative, talented, ambitious, and driven women that I come in contact with that I feel it’s my job as a journalist and a blogger to highlight them and honor their cause. We all have a mission with a purpose and sometimes it just needs exposure and support to assist it along its journey. With all that said let’s meet our TopshelfDiva of the Month: Shannon Pettyjohn.

Read more after the jump…

Shannon caught my attention with her display of mixing her love of fashion into her religion as Muslim which is a big part of who she is. Adorning Burkas daily while throwing on some fur, a chic suit, or a classic broach to create timeless looks is her specialty. Recently, she took her love of fashion a step further and become a boutique owner stepping into the realm of entrepreneurship.

1. When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in fashion?

To be honest as much as I am into fashion, I’ve never thought about pursuing a career in fashion until 4/5 months ago. I have always wanted to own my own business. I would always think of owning a childcare center or a hair salon. I was having a talk with my best friend 4/5 months ago and I was telling her how she has been inspiring me to take that step into becoming an entrepreneur. I was telling her how I was leaning towards opening a childcare center and she said “why don’t you do something with fashion (boutique, stylist, etc.,)” and I said to her “you are absolutely right as much as I like getting dressed why did I NEVER think of that?” And here I am now the owner of La CHICtique.

2. How important is it to you to show that you can still be on the cutting edge of fashion as a Muslim?

It is very important because I can show other muslimahs and women of other religions that you can still be very fashionable & keep up with the latest trends in a modest way.

3. Where are some of your Fave places to shop?

Some of my fav. places to shop are, ASOS, Missguided, Zara & Saks Fifth Avenue.

4. You recently opened up your own boutique, LaCHICtique. What were some difficulties you didn’t expect to face while getting your business off the ground?

Whooh, where do I begin? lol. Creating a website was very difficult for me thats why I ended up hiring a web designer to create it for me, lol. Choosing the right packaging to ship my #LCHotties (customers) there items in was a hard yet confusing decision for me to make. Choosing a photographer was also quite difficult for me, actually it still is, I’m currently looking for a new photographer for my next shoot.

5. When sourcing for your boutique how driven are you by what your personal style is versus what’s trending?

To be honest, I’m very driven. See, when it comes to fashion I can sometime sort of have an old soul which isn’t hard for me to pair up with todays trends.

6. What advise would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs out there?

I would tell them to GO FOR IT! Always chase your dreams & passion! NEVER give up! Even if you wake up one day with a vision that you never had before pursue it you never know where it may take you!

7. Knowing what you know today what advise would you give teenage Shannon?

I would tell teenage Shannon to stay in school (college) & pursue your dreams. No matter how hard it gets, no matter what obstacles you may come cross NEVER EVER give up! I even have to tell myself this sometimes an adult, lol.