On nice, sunny days, Dulce Silva lets her
colorfully clad mannequins get some fresh air in hopes of
catching the attention of passersby in search of fun, flirty
clothing for the spring and summer season.
“The clothes we have are from California,
which you don’t see here that much. Everyone that comes into our
store says, ‘Wow,’ because they don’t see that around. The style
of clothing is very different,” Marcia Cardoso said.
She’s the bookkeeper for and daughter of
Dulce Silva, the owner of the two businesses located at 165
Broad St: Dulce’s Xpo Boutique and Marcia’s Beauty Salon. After
a slow winter, Silva is poised and ready for a busy spring and
summer season as a hearty Broad Street business owner.
“With the bad weather, this season has been
very tough, I think, for every business around. I’m ready for
May, June, July, August and September: those are my best five
months,” Silva said.
Soon the prom season will be here, which is
one of the busiest times of the year for Silva’s businesses.
From buying the dress to getting hair and makeup done, prom
goers will be fully covered at 165 Broad St.
“It’s head to toe here,” Cardoso said.
“She’s really good at recognizing what will look the best on her
customers. When they come in here, she has a way of persuading
them to get that one dress, and the shoes and the jewelry until
they start asking, ‘Oh, how much is this and this,’” she added.
“Then they realize we do makeup... you can
really do everything here for the prom.”
Silva and Cardoso have been busy beginning
preparations for the influx of customers. They have started
picking out prom dresses, calling clothing distributors, looking
at what sold last year, putting mannequins out with prom dresses
and shoes, putting information on the Facebook page and
advertising on the Portuguese Channel 96.
The business used to be at the intersection
of Main and Conant Street in Pawtucket, but moved two-and-a-half
years ago. Since the move both businesses have been steadily
growing.
“People are more familiar with her store
now; they’re familiar with what she has, when before it was so
new,” Cardoso said.
Silva is excited to put the businesses
training she received in February from the International
Institute of Boston's Bridges to Business Program to good use.
The Institute offers business classes, coaching and services to
help create and grow small businesses in Rhode Island.
“It never clicked to me like it did there;
after that I organized my business better,” Silva said.
She said the most important thing she
learned was how to put a budget in place.
“I’ve got to budget so it won’t be so tight,
that I learned--that was my main thing--to budget money. When it
was good, it was really good during prom season last year. I
just have to control my budget during the slower times”
One dilemma Silva faced as she prepared each
Tuesday and Thursday night to go to the class sessions was
leaving her businesses. This absence was difficult but
necessary, as she learned the value of sacrifice in order to
grow her business.
“This is not about you; this is about your
business. When I was leaving people would walk in, but I felt it
was important to go for my businesses’ future.”
Since the classes, Silva has expansion on
her mind. She’s motivated to use the skills she’s learned to
better both her businesses.
“I don’t want to stay stuck in one place,
which I have been. I’m not a person that gives up when I want
something; this is my dream, I’m going to fight for it. I’ve
learned a lot, so when I open a second store I’ll have bad
experience and good experience to know what to do. I had no base
so I screwed up, but now I’m learning from my mistakes. My
vision is growing and my business is growing,” Silva said.
*Both stores are open from 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
everyday except Sunday. Search “Dulce’s Xpo” to find both
businesses on Facebook.
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