Hello sassy reader! If you are reading this, you probably know who I am and what my store is about. Or maybe you just happened upon this post at random. Either way, here is a quick recap:

My name is Suzanne and I grew up in a small town on the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota. I had a fantastic childhood–my creativity was fostered by wonderful parents and my Grandma Anna who lived next door. My two dreams in life from a very young age were to become a writer and a fashion designer. I subscribed to “W” magazine and “Mirabella” in grade school. I read the newspaper by age 3, and with help from my dad and an old typewriter, I wrote my first series of short stories entitled “Dog, Sir, Cat” at around the same age. With my crayons in hand and paper at the ready, I drew and edited my own fashion magazine, and along with my little sister, transformed an old cabinet into a Barbie townhouse, complete with a water system that we designed out of an empty pump ketchup bottle.

As I grew I took as many English classes as I could, was involved in yearbook, costuming drama productions, and taking sewing classes. I took off to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus after graduating from Hibbing High School, and after that transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Stout. The next decade was consumed with retail management jobs, attempting to write a novel or two, and of course,  involving myself in every good girls kryptonite–the bad boy.

So there I was, just turning 30, post break up from what I thought at the time was the love of my life, in a job that I just wasn’t passionate about, with a schedule that allowed little time for my creativity to flourish. What to do, what to do. . .Well, I turned back to where it all began, to the town where I first began dreaming. After much thought, I quit my job and moved in with my sister, not sure exactly what I was going to do next, but sure that with a month or two of soul searching I would figure out where to go next. As it turns out, the answer was not as far away as one would think.

Around the same time I moved back to town, a good friend of mine did the same, and a few months into his return, started working for a new newspaper in Virginia MN. He suggested that with the extra time I had, I should write a weekly column on fashion. With his expert editing, I began writing “High Heels and Handbags” in Hometown Focus, and at the same time taking the steps to begin another adventure. . .sharing some of what I had learned in life by opening a sassy little boutique all my own.

In November 2008, Moxie opened its doors and has continued to grow with support from the community, my family, and a wonderful friend who is a marketing and advertising GENIUS (yes, Katie, I’m talking about you!) It has been, and will continue to be, the adventure of a lifetime, as I re-acquaint myself with an area that I was absent from for so long. This past year I have spoken at various events, have started to get involved with committees promoting the area, and held several fashion shows, one of which is coming up this Saturday! (1:00 at Zimmy’s, you won’t want to miss it.)

As I continue to grow the business, this blog will become a place where I share new products, fashion tips, and things in the area that I find intriguing. So stay tuned, this is only the beginning!

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