By VOICE STAFF
Five months after opening their doors, the owners of U-Turn Decor & More have decided to close shop. The coffee shop and decor boutique was located at 1475 Pelham Street in the commercial space that previously housed Carolinda’s and a host of previous retailers.
On Friday, Jan. 27 and Saturday, Jan. 28 owner/operator, Nykki Dechellis held a Closing Out sale. Dechellis is also the owner of the Fashion U-Turn boutique situated directly across the street from the now closed U-Turn. Looking back on her endeavour, she has gained insight on both owning a business and being a mother.
“Running your own business is no piece of cake, neither is raising a family,” said Dechellis.
“For me being a ‘Mompreneur’, starting a business was a means of creating a better life for my kids.”
Managing two businesses and caring for her two boys has taught her important lessons. It requires a special mix of intelligence, equity, creativity and determination, she said.
“I believe the secret is to find something you love, and find a way to do it with realistic expectations. But you have to know how much you can handle.”
Dechellis explained to her clients in a post on the U-Turn Décor & More Facebook page, that one of the main reasons for closing the popular boutique was that she wanted to focus on her family. While owning, and managing two successful stores at once is no easy task, she said being a single mom poses an even steeper challenge.
“As a single-mom entrepreneur, success means being the best mom your kids can have, and living your dreams while you’re at it. That’s a tough job, but I tried to embrace it. Unfortunately running both retail locations requires quite a bit of money to constantly fill both locations with beautiful and desired merchandise.”
Although both stores had been successful, Dechellis said that she discovered her true passion was with Fashion U-Turn and helping women love themselves. Describing the experience as rewarding and worthwhile, she said the most difficult aspect of her job is never being off the clock.
“You’re always at work, even when you are at home or asleep or on vacation, Dechellis said.
“It’s always in the back of your mind. If anything goes wrong, it’s on you. Even when you’re at the beach, you’ve got your phone right next to you. I love it, so I’m not complaining, but you never really check out 100 percent.”
