- Words by TessVan StraatenPhotography by Lia Crowe

Devon Bird never thought of herself as an entrepreneur, but after launching a successful clothing store in Sidney two years ago, she鈥檚 now preparing to open another boutique next door鈥攁nd she couldn鈥檛 be happier.

鈥淏uilding this business and being connected with what I love to do鈥攊t鈥檚 not a job,鈥� says the 31-year-old owner of Moden Boutique. 鈥淚t鈥檚 entirely consuming in the best possible way. I鈥檓 doing exactly what I want and what I should be doing.鈥�

Devon started working in retail when she was just 16 years old鈥攊t was her first job鈥攂ut despite her love of fashion, she didn鈥檛 think it would be her career.

鈥淚 always worked in retail because I liked the discount, and it was somewhere I felt comfortable,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 got my degree in sociology with a concentration in health and aging, and I thought I was going to run an assisted living facility for independent seniors.鈥�

But after getting into merchandising a few years ago, Devon found her passion and decided to push herself out of her comfort zone. She packed up her life in Vancouver and moved back to her hometown of Victoria to open up Moden, which means 鈥渕ature鈥� in Norwegian (a nod to her grandmother who came to Canada after the Second World War and had a unique fashion sense).

鈥淚t鈥檚 not an age to me, it鈥檚 a mental space,鈥� Devon explains. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really relate to my millennial generation much, so mature was a state of being, a state of mind, a comfort in oneself鈥攁 mature place to be. You know who you are and you鈥檙e living that truth and that鈥檚 what Moden meant to me.鈥�

That philosophy, of being true to oneself, is also how Devon is running her business. But it鈥檚 a lesson she had to learn the hard way.

鈥淲henyou start a business, you don鈥檛 have somebody telling you what鈥檚 right or wrong, and I think I started trying to be everything to all people,鈥� she admits. 鈥淎fter I opened, people would say, 鈥極h, the store is too empty鈥� or 鈥榶ou need to carry this鈥� or 鈥榶ou need to carry that鈥� or 鈥榳hy don鈥檛 you carry skirts?鈥� and I would think, 鈥極h gosh, I need to carry more skirts and dresses, I need to do more evening stuff,鈥� and it started to impact the vision I had for the store, which is everyday comfortable dressing.鈥�

Devon felt like she was being pulled in too many directions and had to stop, re-evaluate, and learn to trust her gut.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 let people tell you who you are,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou need to know what your business is about. And it鈥檚 a reflection of you, so you have to be true to that, and everything鈥攆rom how you decorate to what you have in the store鈥攈as to come from that vision, or the message is totally lost.鈥�

For Devon, who says she always thought she鈥檇 make a better employee than employer, learning to run a business has come with a steep learning curve. But she says the key is not being afraid to ask questions.

鈥淚 think what you learn is that you have to be quite shameless and ask questions and not be afraid to look silly,鈥� she advises. 鈥淚 had to really get over not looking qualified, which was a very humbling experience. But it was also encouraging to see how willing people are to help you when you do ask.鈥�

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic just 15 months after she opened the store posed a unexpected and unique challenge鈥攐ne that many new businesses struggled to survive. But it鈥檚 also been a valuable learning experience.

鈥淚t鈥檚 made us more nimble and one of the positives out of COVID-19 is that people鈥檚 habits are broken up,鈥� she says. 鈥淣obody wants to go to a big mall full of people now, so they鈥檙e looking for their outdoor shopping centres; they鈥檙e looking for their local, independent boutiques.I鈥檝e been so encouraged to see people coming back, people really worried about my business and buying gift cards or shopping online for the first time just to support me.鈥�

Devon鈥檚 so encouraged, she鈥檚 planning to expand and open a new store鈥擬oden Essentials, which will carry lingerie, loungewear and basics鈥攊n March.

鈥淥pening a business at anytime is a risk, but you mitigate that risk by being really clear,鈥� she says. 鈥淎re you offering something that people need? I want to continue to do what Moden did, which is offer what鈥檚 missing and I think the next space that could really be elevated is lingerie and lounge.鈥�

It all comes back to Devon鈥檚 approach to business and life鈥攌nowing who you are and being authentic.

鈥滻f you鈥檙e doing exactly what you鈥檙e supposed to be doing, you鈥檙e using your skills and your heart is in it. So it鈥檚 really difficult to fail because you鈥檙e using all of your strengths and putting that out there,鈥� Devon says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 really the key to success.鈥�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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