Her Story
About Nicolette
My career in buying and merchandising spans over three decades, beginning with The Gap where I opened 72 stores and received extensive training in everything from merchandising to yearly P&Ls. I also worked for Guess as a shadow designer for belts, which allowed me to blend my art background with commercial work. When I was raising my family, I pivoted to small business consulting for about 7 years, using my corporate expertise to help small businesses open, grow, and scale. Now, I work as a buyer for 4 stores in West Seattle - a kids' consignment store, a kids' shoe store, an adult clothing store, and a cards and gifts store. What sets my approach apart is what some have called 'conscious buying.' I ensure that 70% of everything in my stores is local - from local artists and makers - and the remaining 30% must meet strict criteria: they need to give back, be owned by underrepresented groups (like LGBTQ+ individuals or people of color), or be sustainable and eco-friendly. I don't buy Pride Month items unless they're from LGBTQ-owned companies, and I don't buy Black History Month items unless they're from companies owned by people of color. I verify that every company claiming to give back actually does what they say. I also teach classes at a local organization that helps people in transitional housing from homelessness and addiction learn to turn their art into sellable products like cards, tote bags, and mugs - and since I buy local, I can help bridge their transition by purchasing from them. My typical day involves analyzing sales, but more importantly, reading the temperature of my community and the world at large to understand what people need. I hunt for new artists at Sunday markets and free markets, looking for people who don't yet know how valuable they are. I handle all the Shopify inventory, create photos and descriptions, and merchandise everything myself with a small team. I'm passionate about helping small mom-and-pop businesses and communities thrive, and I believe that if bigger companies adopted this buying approach, they could change economies - especially since 60% of small business makers are women, and 32% of those women are the main breadwinners for their families.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nicolette
01What do you attribute your success to?
I don't come from a family that has great stability, so my success is based on a drive to live and survive. Once I achieved that baseline of being okay, everything else has come from making my community proud, supporting the people I adore, and helping other younger women who were in the same position I was in 20 years ago. I want to make my son and my husband proud of me, though they have a low bar and are always proud of me. I have no need for a legacy, but I want small mom-and-shop businesses, communities, and women to get everything that they want and deserve. That means something to me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Don't do anything that your heart isn't 100% on board with. If you don't feel good about it, you're not going to do it well.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
On a technical level, you need to understand AI and use it as a tool, not a crutch, because companies are going to try to fill the space of buyers with AI that just reads reports and reorders. But there's nothing like a good eye and a gut sense - more importantly, the ability to keep an eye on trends and predict what's going to happen next. I am not a trend follower. You have to be a trendsetter in my business and not just follow what everyone else is doing. In the gift industry, for example, if everyone's wanting avocados right now, you need to be beyond that and find out what is next. You have to be willing to create those trends with good merchandising. A buyer who has a strong background in merchandising and understanding of AI, who still understands how to use Excel and Word and all the basics, but who is confident in their vision and what they feel is next and what they want to see out in the world in terms of trends - that's what works. Just following the trends doesn't work anymore. I think creative industries can fight AI with creativeness.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The biggest value for me is that the people around me who are just as creative and intelligent and amazing as I am get the credit they deserve. I'm a big proponent of no gatekeeping - I gatekeep nothing. There's no information that I keep from the people I work with, and there's no skill that I will not teach somebody. I think that in life and in work, women in particular feel like there's only so much food on the plate, but that's one of the things that I have been given as a gift from women in my career who were older and mentors to me, and I give that back. I believe that if you can do something and it's kind and thoughtful and makes you feel good, you should do it. If you can reach behind and pull somebody up with you, you absolutely need to be doing that.
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