Personal Shopper at your service!

Interesting business concept for the VI - I only know that in STT -- caring about style as a personal image factor overall is generally not viewed as a very high priority and commonly considered a gauche and unnecessary overstatement - thinking other people notice or care about your 'style' doesn't seem to be very important over here to any of the longer time residents -- maybe STX is different?
NOW doing someones grocery shopping, DMV tasks, Home Depot and Kmart trips, Post Office pickups, laundry and dry cleaning pick up, school errands or bus meeting and pickup, car washing and tasks like that might be 100% viable as a business.

When did "stylish" or having personal style become a bad thing? Some of my best friends have no style, and others can shop Salvation Army stores and come out looking great. I don't think they really care what others think, they do it for themselves. Mony3300 even said "...looking stylish without compromising their wallet" how is that gauche?

For an island that doesn't care about style I do see an awful lot of high end jewelry and clothing stores on STT. I know those are really for the tourists, but there are also a lot of rental villas on STT / STX / STJ and I would assume to attract business they would want to present a stylish product.

As a guy who is colorblind I often rely on the help of others when picking out paint colors or clothing....prevents me from buying green shorts when I really needed tan ones! Not to mention the bathroom I once painted Pepto Bismal Pink .....oops.

Here is someone taking the initiative to start their own business and instead of welcoming them and wishing them well we start picking their plan apart.

Exit Zero, I always enjoy reading your posts. They are thoughtful and informative. Guess I was a taken by surprise by your approach on this one. And how I would LOVE to have someone do the K-Mart trips for me ( if only I could afford to hire someone!)

Robob, I think Exit Zero raises a valid point. Could one make a living from such a business? And IMO, the answer is no. In addition, the OP sounds, not like a business person, but a person who enjoys shopping and style and would like to turn those interests into a business. She/he does not mention references or experience. I think we are being kind by "telling it like it is".

On STX we do have interior decorators who make a living, but they have been around for a long time. On STX OP might check out Patalitis Design.

Good point, Linda. I agree the "tell it like it is" attitude on this board can be a great thing. It certainly prepared me for what to expect when I moved to the USVI, and I was grateful for the advance knowledge.

What got to me was the fact that the OP had already decided on the concept, they weren't asking for an opinion on what we thought about the business. I would have had a far different reaction had the OP ended with " What do you think, folks?"

I can't help but think of some business plans that seemed like pure folly..... like pet rocks ( remember that craze?) or that stuff you rub on your forehead to make headaches go away...crazy ideas but those folks are laughing all the way to the bank ( well, at least until the pet rock boom went bust!).

As a new business owner I guess I'm a little sensitive. I love it when people come in and offer solid constructive criticism. Its helpful to have "new eyes" and we've followed up on more than 1 suggestion. What I don't appreciate are the folks who stand outside the door and make sarcastic remarks ( thin glass people, I hear it all!). Or the guy who came in and said " Do you REALLY think you can make a living selling this stuff?" (No pal, I just wanted to come up with a way to waste lots of cash and ruin my good credit).

One of the great things about this forum....everyone has an opinion! 🙂

I may have been a bit overzealous on the style comments - I really was trying to say that a personal shopper for the more mundane tasks would be a better service than emphasizing style alone.

From what I understand, personal shoppers deal with more than just dressing a person. They also help harried people by buying/suggesting gifts. Helping brides with favors is something that comes to mind. Maybe the original idea will evolve into wedding planning.

Many people here want to look good, and may need help in finding their comfortable style. Whether they're willing or able to pay is the challenge.

Having a biz idea is just the start. Very few successful businesses are doing today what they were doing 10 years ago, but you have to start somewhere.

My apologies for jumping in late! I thank you all for your feedback and I'm not taking anything that Exit Zero said as being negative. I definitely understand their position and it makes sense. Either you're into fashion or you're not. And it can mean different things to different people, be it culturally, economically, etc...

The idea was born out of my own appreciation for clothing and decor and of course it's a niche market for like minded people. I'm a female in her twenties who lived in NYC for 7 years and so my environment exposed me to vast amounts of people from all walks of life with their own identity, and thus their own sense of style. Also being that it's often referred to as a "fashion mecca" one could not help but be inundated by the array of retail options and marketing that create an allure to fashion.

My mother was a seamstress and took the time and dedication into the clothes she made for me and even put together all my Halloween costumes so I developed a respect for it and it definitely began pulsing through my veins when I arrived in NYC. There is something to be said about someone who cares about their appearance and I think there is definitely a stigma about how it simply promotes consumerism and superficiality. There is an element of creativity involved, an opportunity to make a statement about who you are and it doesn't have to mean that you solely care about physical appearance or that you lack depth. That's determined once you open your mouth. It's natural to want to be unique and stand out from the rest and I definitely try to embody that. What you wear is merely a small extension of what represents YOU! And most importantly it should be fun and should not be taken seriously!

With all that said, all I'm trying to do is spread the love and enjoyment I get from shopping because many, many people have a hard time doing so and are unsure of how to project that style they are looking to emulate. I get that islanders may not understand why anyone would care about what they wear when there are more important tasks at hand but if that's the case then why come Sunday morning do you see them dressed to the nines for church?! It's a virtual fashion week!!!

Ultimately, I would love to be able to work as a creative consultant for a fashion designer where I can really make an impact with my aesthetic but like ms411 stated, "you have to start somewhere" and I'm trying to build my professional experience by putting myself out there and letting the rest fall into place!! 🙂

There are some islanders who place a lot of emphasis on how they look and some who don't - just like in the States. Women's media before/after segments are extremely popular. Also with so many queen competitions in the Caribbean, there may be an opportunity. Every star and high profile person employs a stylist.