Meet Daphne Hill: Bridal Boutique Owner
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We had the good fortune of connecting with Daphne Hill and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Daphne, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Over time, work life balance has become more and more important. I have always made my family a priority but didn’t make time for recreation and rest. The past few years, I realize how I did myself a disservice and have been paying more attention to self-care. I have learned that taking care of myself and having balance makes me better overall but also better at running my business. We really must give attention to every area of our life.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Daphne’s is a full-service bridal and formal wear boutique serving the customer who is searching for a unique experience as they select quality attire at affordable prices. We are committed to providing an experience which allows every customer to express their inward personality. As an organization, Daphne’s values being positive, fun, present, while having integrity and displaying initiative. We work to create a positive work environment and shopping experience. Our staff engages to help customers stay optimistic through their search process. We strive to provide staff with the necessary skills to confidently work with customers and bring out their own confidence. We also create a space in which customers feel supported by staff and staff feel supported by Daphne’s. It is also important to us to have fun! Preparing for a wedding or formal event is exciting and we work to embody that excitement and remain upbeat and engaged when enthusiastically interacting with customers. I am proud of the fact that we genuinely love helping our customers, making them feel valued and being a part of special times in their lives. I feel that I got where I am today with love, support and encouragement of others, always learning, caring about others and just plain hard work. It wasn’t easy at all but I’ve heard it said ‘If it was easy, everybody would be doing it”. I have been able to overcome the challenges by receiving help, encouragement and never giving up – even when I wanted to. I have also relied on my faith and prayer to see me through challenging times. I have learned that there are so many people who have believe in small business owners and want to see us succeed. I have learned that it is ok and necessary to ask for help. Another great lesson is that if things don’t work out the way I’ve planned, I can make another plan and pivot. I want the world to know that it is a privilege to be able to work with so many wonderful people during amazing times in their lives. I am driven by the desire to see women of all shapes and sizes feel beautiful on the most special day of their lives. At Daphne’s, the experience is everything! I want every customer to step out of the busyness of life, to slow down and enjoy this special moment, creating lasting memories and forever friendships. We want our clients to step into a place of peace, comfort and joy when they cross the threshold of our boutique. I value every opportunity to be a part of such special times in the lives of our clients. Right now, the dress shopping experience isn’t what any bride dreamed, but we are determined to make your experience as fun, special and stress-free as possible, because we know that love isn’t canceled. I am very proud that Daphne’s Bridal Boutique is a Black owned, woman owned business. Last month, we celebrated our 12 year anniversary. I am continuously inspired and motivated by Black women who pursue their visions and dreams with condence and strength. My goal is to continue that legacy by demonstrating that Black women can make their dreams come true and can create lasting impressions and long legacies of success for their communities.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would have food from Skippers Seafood, Chester’s BBQ, Koreana, Trevioli Italian Kitchen, Mabella Italian Steakhouse, Salt Cellar to name a few. We would visit Providence Canyon State Park, the RiverWalk, my neighborhood park. I would plan for us to spend time hanging out at my house with family, enjoying food and fellowship as well as visiting other family members. We would shop at local boutiques and round things out with a little pampering at a local shop for manicures and pedicures.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There have been many people along the way who have provided an enormous amount of information, support and encouragement. At this point in business, currently enduring the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a group of people who have been instrumental in our ability to navigate through these unprecedented times. In January of 2020, my family – husband Cedric, daughter Ashley, son Cedric II – and I engaged the Small Business Development Center to help us evaluate our business processes and develop a new strategy and plan for the future of Daphne’s Bridal Boutique. We assembled an executive team to facilitate our discussions and planning lead by our consultant, Michelle Griffin . In addition to my family, this team consists of Jamie Gray and Meredith Peasant. This team committed to meeting weekly and assisting me in working on the business. Each team member brings different professional experience and skills to our discussions. We also have 2 wonderful stylist Doris Cox and Caroline Mitchell who make sure our customer’s have the best experience possible at Daphne’s. These people deserve credit and recognition because without them I don’t think we would have had a strategy in place that would have given us the ability to survive the effects the pandemic has had on our business. Also, as a result of their efforts, we will be launching our rebrand March 1st!
Website: www.daphnesbridal.com
Instagram: Instagram.com/daphnesbridal
Twitter: Twitter.com/daphnesbridal
Facebook: facebook.com/daphnesbridal