Vivacious – Angela Wildish
Vivacious. An adjective meaning lively, upbeat, happy, cheerful or full of fun. The store on 101 Dundas Street West in Trenton, appropriately named Vivacious, embodies all of those adjectives and more – one more in particular. Comfortable. It’s a feeling often overlooked in retail shopping, one that Angela Wildish, owner, goes through great lengths to convey.
“We want to portray that type of atmosphere when you walk in,” she says. “And we want women to feel that way when they walk out.”
This philosophy of comfort is reflected in many parts of the store, right down to the day spa that was added in two years ago where you can get your nails done, facials or a relaxation massage. Vivacious truly has come a long way since it was first opened in 2012.
“It originally started off as a women’s plus-size clothing store only,” Angela says. “When I bought it 3 years ago I expanded into all sizes for women. We still do have the largest selection of plus size clothing in the region and a very large fashion jewelry collection.”
Angela gravitated towards this industry by way of her passions.
“Personally I have always loved fashion and loved shopping at fashion retailers so I paired my retail and buying background with my personal interests,” she says.
And where many budding entrepreneurs would see anxiety in their first day of operations, Angela saw something else.
“Excitement,” she says. “It was so nice after working for 30 years for different corporations to have my own business. I was not nervous and loved the first few months as I could build my expectations as the first season went along.”
Originally, from Trenton, Angela moved back to the area after 25 years in Toronto.
“I enjoy the small town business community that we have in Quinte West,” she says. “I mostly enjoy meeting so many people from our town and region. Getting to know a little bit about the people in our community is very rewarding.”
Thinking back, one experience sticks out in particular.
“One of my most positive experiences was the first community fashion show I helped organize. We invited five other fashion retailers in town. The marina had just opened and we decided to use that as our venue. The show was sold out with ladies clamoring for tickets. There was a lot to learn from the first one but it was so exciting to pull off.”
“The other positive experiences in the store is when a customer buys an outfit for a special occasion and feels like a million dollars in it. You just see the confidence rise inside them.”
