Kindness Matters

Tears of Joy

Today was a good day. Not because we were busy in the shop, but because we received the sweetest message from a customer. She told us how her 13 year old daughter sometimes struggles with typical body issues and that she doesn't feel comfortable shopping in most stores. After their shopping experience with us, her daughter said, "Mom, I really like it at DART.  They're so nice and make me feel so comfortable, not like the other boutique places that make me feel like I'm not good enough to be there. Those ladies are great and just SO kind!"

This message immediately brought chills to me as I read it. Then, I started crying. At the time I wasn't sure why I was crying. This simple, kind message hit me straight in the heart and as I wrapped my head around my tears, I realized exactly why I was tearful.

We opened DART Boutique a little over a year ago. I think about the amount of hours I have spent dreaming of ideas, working on developing the business, spending time with customers in the store, toiling away on computer work, etc. There are so many highs and lows when owning a business and with the recent COVID-19 shutdown, the lows were starting to outweigh the highs. But, we persisted.

I worked 10x harder the past few months than I ever have on anything in my entire life. I work every single day to keep this business going. Why? I feel like there is a greater purpose for our business. I have always wanted DART Boutique to be a place where girls and women of all ages, shapes, and sizes can feel welcome, comfortable, and have fun shopping. Every person embodies their own type of beauty and deserves to be treated with the utmost respect.

I've never lost sight of this vision, but it was nice to have a reminder that what we do every day matters. It mattered to that young teen, which made me incredibly joyful. The tears I was crying, were indeed tears of joy.

-Leslie