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As part of VenturaVie's mission to value mindful fashion, V Boutique is now adding select vintage items and I was lucky enough to go on the first buying trip to help out.


I wore my best walking shoes as we took the largest possible suitcases and rolled them ALL over NYC visiting every shop we had been given the names of by our trusted NYC board member, Stephen's contact. The first place we went was somewhat overwhelming with so many pieces to look through. Remembering to focus on coats, jackets, tops, and accessories helped us go through the many, many items we saw. We met MoMo who heard about our mission and offered us special pricing in his shop. We went through church markets, and clothing kiosks, met friendly people who were willing to share their secrets, and walked MANY miles in search of the perfect pieces for V Boutique. Bonus, we ate some great pizza and watched young people express themselves with their fashion. It was inspiring!

Another day we took our HUGE suitcase on the subway to Brooklyn. Loved the woman who took pity on us and just shouted out to us to use the emergency gate instead of us struggling to get our suitcase through the turnstile as she was hurrying by, and the policemen who took a real interest in helping us find the locations we needed to go as we arrived in Brooklyn. I guess we looked lost. The many shops were really warehouses full of treasures and we left with our suitcase packed full again. The funny thing is no one even thought we looked ridiculous hauling these suitcases everywhere!


We met up with the 2022 Wear We Are Going winner, Mahdiyyah Muhammad, who gave us such inspiration and hope for the future with her sustainable designs and beautiful spirit. "This upcycled design was crafted from the leftover fabric scraps from past collections. In an effort to exercise #zerowastefashion, I’ve held onto the remaining odds + ends from past designs and made something beautiful." Check out her amazing work @mahdiyyahofficial


We took all of our finds and go them photographed and steamed out and ready for the shop. There are such beautiful pieces it was hard not to keep them for ourselves. Knowing that V Boutique continues to have NEW clothing and accessories and is adding select vintage pieces really makes it the perfect place to shop for a cause!










Sunday Salons are the idea of creating a place where we can foster community for just 45 minutes on a monthly Sunday to listen, learn and share with each other. Enjoy recordings of Fall 2022 Sunday Salons below.


If you have a good idea for a salon, feel free to contact us at Info@venturavie.org






**** Don't forget to list VenturaVie as your charity on AmazonSmile. Every time you shop through AmazonSmile, Amazon donates to your charity. Every penny counts and is appreciated!















When taking on an internship with VenturaVie, I wanted to be able to use my academic interest, public relations, to further the mission of fashion, compassion, community. In meetings with Victoria Zitrin, founder of VenturaVie, we tossed around the idea of doing some kind of event to introduce young creatives to our non-profit. Victoria, being very invested in and trusting of me, allowed this to be my job and we decided it would be the perfect capstone for my internship.


In recent years I have become fascinated with storytelling. I started my own podcast extraordinary ordinaries last year with the idea that whether or not a person has a platform, they still have a story because everyone has something to share. With this idea, I have spent the last year interviewing people about their individual stories and turning them into podcast episodes. It has introduced me to people all over the world and shown me that there is value in the stories of our neighbors.


Keeping that in mind I pitched the idea of a live storytelling event to Victoria and we decided this would be very on-brand since people are always telling her stories when they come into V Boutique. And thus Sunset Stories was born. I spent the summer designing content, planning with board members, sending invitations, and brainstorming how to make this event a success, and in the end, it was just that. On September 29th, We gathered in V boutique with existing members of the VenturaVie community, as well as some fresh new faces and we shared stories, poems, and thoughts relating to our theme of connection.

This event couldn’t have gone better because we accomplished what we set out to do; bring people together. We were able to cultivate a space where total strangers could be vulnerable. We had people telling stories about their ancestors, opening up about their mental health, and familial intricacies. It only reinforced the idea that connection is the key.

We originally picked connection as our theme because it is my number one value in life. I feel the most happy, safe, and fulfilled when connected to a place, person, or idea. But this event became so much more than my own personal values. As I said at the end of the event, connection is the special sauce in life. Think about it like this: have you ever had an outstanding meal and you just can’t put your finger on what was in the special sauce? Think about life as the meal and connection as that special ingredient. Connection is the special sauce in all of our lives.


As we are planning to do more of these Live Storytelling events, I hope to meet you in the hiVe. Come with an open mind and a kind ear, I can’t wait to hear your story and introduce you to VenturaVie!


Sunset Stories Inaugural Event




**** Another way to give is to list VenturaVie as your charity on AmazonSmile. Every time you shop through AmazonSmile, Amazon donates to your charity. Every penny counts and is appreciated!







 

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