“Nothing.”
“Myles, you obviously have something to say, so just say it.”
“It’s not my place.”
I snort. “Since when has that stopped you? Come on, out with it.”
He pauses his typing. Releasing a long breath, he brings his gaze back to mine. “It’s just… that is seriously fucked up, right? That your ex-husband is your landlord, then on top of that he’s dating your friend?”
“Ex-friend.”
“Yeah. That’s fucked up.”
I give a slow nod of agreement as I put some music on. Ella Fitzgerald comes on over the speakers and it makes me smile.
“Have you ever thought about moving somewhere else?”
A humorless laugh shoots from my mouth, and I lean back on my elbows against the counter, looking around the store. “Of course I have. I think about it all the time. But I can’t afford the cost of moving, not to mention the rent. Even with the rent increase here, this place is still cheaper than most of the places out there.”
He drags his lower lip through his teeth, thinking. “I don’t want to overstep here, so if you want me to shut up, then just say.”
I twist around to face him properly. “Okay… What?”
“Have you considered setting up an online store? Selling your things online?”
“Yeah. It’s hard to compete with eBay and places like that, though, when it comes to vintage goods.”
“No.” He sets his laptop down on the counter and stands, pulling out my cherry-print dress. “I mean, selling yourowndesigns online—building a brand around your original creations, offering limited runs of designs, doing custom orders, charging a higher price point. That sort of thing.”
I hesitate, examining the dress. “Not really, no. I love making these clothes but they don’t sell that well.”
Myles laughs, cocking his head as if he doesn’t understand me. “They’re hidden down here on a rack behind the counter. No one can see them!”
“No—” I step back, looking between the rack and the rest of the store. “They’re not hidden.”
“Yes, they are. I’ve been watching you with customers all afternoon and most people don’t even notice they’re there.” He softens. “Look. There are a million vintage clothing stores in the East Village alone. I know, because I checked. That’s tough competition. But these”—he gestures to my clothes—“are unique. I don’t know anything about fashion, but these are your own designs, right?”
I nod.
“So they’re different from everything else. They’re your thing, your niche. You’re trying to appeal to everyone by selling vintage clothes and other things, and it’s watering your brand down. If you focused on your own designs—the thing you love and are clearly good at—you’d be able to set yourself apart.”
I gaze at my rack of clothing, seeing it through new eyes. I’d always listened to Mark’s advice in the past, but what Myles says makes sense. No one has ever explained it like that—that I’m watering my brand down with the vintage stuff—but now that he has, it seems so obvious.
Still, my whole business is built around selling vintage clothes, in a physical store. I don’t have the first clue how to overhaul it into an online store, focusing solely on my own designs. And to make a living doing that? It seems like a long-shot.
“It’s a cool idea, but I wouldn’t know where to start. I don’t know the first thing about rebranding and setting up an online store, or marketing online. I don’t have the time to eventhinkabout it, let alone actually do it.”
He places the dress back. “But if you did do it, I’m sure you could make more than you’re making now. At the moment, your entire client base is the East Village, maybe a little broader. If you go online, you literally have the whole world at your fingertips. You could afford to move, if you wanted to. To get away from”—he gestures to the door after Mark and Mel, screwing up his face—“that.”
“But I don’t knowhowto do it,” I repeat, failing to keep the frustration out of my voice. “Sure, it’s great in theory. But it’s not doable.”
“It is.” He folds his arms across his chest and regards me carefully. “If you let others help you.”
“Who?”
“Me.” His cocky grin slides back onto his face. “Let me help.”
“Myles—” I rub my forehead. “That’s sweet. But it’s a bit of a jump from building me a simple website to launching and running an online business, isn’t it? You’re talking about changing the entire structure of my business, creating a whole new brand, finding new clients, marketing…”
