WKXL - New Hampshire Talk Radio
Artful Living with Nicole Hodgkins
(upbeat music) - Good morning everybody, and welcome to Art for Living here on WKXL New Hampshire Talk Radio.com. WKXL 1450 AM, 103.9 FM Concord, and 101.9 FM in Manchester. And I wanna give our shout out today to Avalon Farm Music Institute, whose sponsors are for living here on WKXL. And don't forget their wonderful concerts, which happen every weekend at their facility, at their beautiful barn, outdoor barn, right in Bosco and right close by. So Avalon Farm Music Institute. And today we're gonna get a little bit away from the music. We've been doing an awful lot with music and performances, and that's great, but you know what, Art for Living, we can have artful things in many different genres, and we talk about that quite often here. Today we're going to talk with a young lady, Nicole Hodgkins, and she actually is the owner of a beautiful little shop, right, in downtown on Main Street, Acromatic. And welcome, Nicole. - Thank you, thank you so much for having me. - Oh, it's gonna be a pleasure. So she doesn't know this, you know, for those listeners who listen to Art for Living, know that I'm not big on, you know, pre-interviewing guests, 'cause I have this theory that when you do that, and then you go on the air with it, it sounds less real to me. I like to just invite people, and we get here, and we chat, and have a conversation, and it's real, right? But Nicole probably doesn't remember that I stopped into her shop probably about six or seven months ago. - Oh, wow. - And we talked very, very, very short, you know, very little bit, but I left the shop impressed by the fact that he was a young lady who was really focused and managing such a beautiful little shop, and it reminded me to go back in. I had this reminding as I was going downtown last week to go back into Acromatic, and to remember to ask her to be with us. So I have to say the second time through your shop, I felt the same way. I mean, what a beautiful job you do in the presentation of the things that you offer for sale. So tell us a little bit about Nicole, who is the owner of Acromatic. - Yeah, so my name's Nicole, and I have owned Acromatic for about four and a half years now. We started online, and this weekend, we're actually coming up on our one-year anniversary in the location we're in right now. So it's been really fun. It's definitely a big growth experience, but it's so fun, every day is different, and I love getting to connect with the local community and just do all of those things, it's so fun. - Yes, you know what, your product is fun. - Yes, yes. - Your product, now, we don't have video today, we don't have the cameras rolling today, but Nicole is in something that is so Acromatic, because she has this very beautiful pale pink jacket that she's wearing, a really beautiful fabric. What does that fabric call? - It's like a sweater knit material, but it's in a blazer style, so it's fun. - It's absolutely, it's a very light knit, but the color and the how it sits, understated, but really, because of it's understated, it has a message, and that's kind of what I feel when I go through your shop. - Yes, I really like, the comfort is number one when I'm sourcing things for the store. I don't like to wear anything uncomfortable, so I want things that people can wear to work, they can wear it to homecoming, they can wear it pretty much anywhere, but will still be comfy. - Absolutely, and so, how did Acromatic begin? Tell us about your beginning. - Yeah, so I went to college, I went to Southern Hampshire University for fashion merchandising, and it was always a goal to have my own store ever since I was little, and when I graduated, it was December of 2019, right before the pandemic, and I still wanted to have a store, but I thought it would be like a five, 10-year plan, and then it was a couple of months after I graduated when the pandemic hit, and I was sitting at home every day, and I was just like, you know what? I feel like so many people tell me, you either do it right when you're in your early 20s, or you kind of have a career, and then you do it as like a retirement job, or when you're older, and I didn't want to wait that long, and so I saw the opportunity, and I just decided to go for it, and it's just worked out, and I've been able to do it for almost four and a half years now. - You saw, I am impressed, and that was why I was so impressed with you the first time that we spoke. The fact that you're so young, 'cause you are, you're young, you're young, and here you are, in the throes of really, I think, your dream, that shop tells us a lot about, I think, Nicole. - Yes, it's definitely a representation of me and my personality. - I love that. I love that it's bold in that you don't hedge, right? When you go into Acromatic, and you look at the product, and you see the setup, and the ambiance of the little shop, it really has a statement, and as someone that really understands how difficult, especially today, small businesses, especially entrepreneurs that are doing something that they love, right, for you, fashion, man, you cannot support these people enough. - It's so true. - And so, really, just a beautiful little shop. So you started online first, you said. - Yeah. - How did that work? - It was interesting, it was during COVID, and so I feel like a lot of people were doing online stuff, and I feel like that actually benefited me a little bit. There's a big push for shopping online during that time, obviously, and so I was able to create kind of a customer base with like family and friends first, and then I was able to kind of work with the local community and do some pop-ups with other shops and things like that, and that helped me grow a demographic in the Concord and like Southern New Hampshire area, and that allowed me to have the opportunity to open my own storefront and Concord. - Right, now the storefront that you have is really unique. I like it. - Yes. - You know, you have a window, I believe, on the front, but you have to come in through the door and then over a little bit to the side, but I really like that. It's sort of like you have to go there to see it. - You have to know where you're going for sure, but I love the space. - Yeah, the space is beautiful. - It is. - It's very New York. - It is, I actually, that was the whole reason I chose that store, it was actually ready to go. It didn't, I didn't have to do any renovations or anything. - Good, and it was just my style and I knew the second I walked in that that was the space. - Isn't that good for you? - Yeah, I love that when we hear good stories. So when you are, when you're in the front, you have a window. Don't you have a window? - Yes, there's two windows in the front. - Okay, there's two, all right. And those windows always have very nice little eclectic things in them that I've noticed when I go by. So when you were, when you were in school for, you said fashion designer. - Fashion merchandising. - Fashion merchand, fashion merchandising. That was something that you've always wanted to do even as a child. - Oh yeah, what moved you to that? What do you think? - I've always wanted to have my own business ever since I was young. My dad has his own business and I've always seen that lifestyle of working for yourself and it was something I always wanted for myself. And I've always been into fashion and all things girly makeup, hair, jewelry, all of that. And so I kind of knew that I always wanted to have a business in that industry and Southern New Hampshire University was one of the only universities or schools in New England outside of Boston that had a program. - Is that right? - It's similar, yeah. And so I ended up going for that and I fell in love with the program and everything I was learning. - See for years, correct? You've got a bachelor's. So what do you take, is that? - It's a lot of business classes. I think a lot of people go into it thinking you're gonna learn fashion design and how to sew and it's actually nothing to do with that. It's marketing, it's visual merchandising. We did a lot of retail math classes so learning how to price things, buying classes, knowing how to predict what's gonna be popular in six months and it was just all really cool stuff. - Yeah, you must have really loved that. - Yeah, I loved it enough that I'm actually back in school again for my masters in it. - No, really? Wow, good for you. - Yeah, it's super fun. - I can imagine that it is. You know, and especially since the shop itself is the dream. - Yes. - Everything that you're doing and learning is feeding. - Exactly. - It's feeding that dream. - Yeah. - That's pretty cool. - Yeah. - So tell us, you know, a little bit, you have a site. It says shop acromatic. So shop, A-C-H-R-O-M-A-T-I-C. Really easy shop acromatic. - Yes. - And did you do the website yourself? - I did. - You did. - Yeah, so that's part of what you're learning, huh? - Definitely, yeah, I had to teach myself. It's not in my normal, like, way of doing things, but it was really fun. It was something I could teach myself and constantly teaching myself to update, but it's fun. - Okay, so, and you have a very, like I said, it's a New York vibe. It really is. If I used to live on 57th Street, way back when, and shopping, you know, when you lived in Midtown Manhattan, was like an artful thing. You could go to any little side street. - Yep. - And you would find a little shop. But that little shop would always have an identity. - Yes. - That was unique. And I really, that's what I really liked about New York. And of course, this was a long time ago, we're talking like the mid to late '80s, right? The stuff, not the stuff that doesn't sound, the merchandise that was in these stores, people would think, oh, it was really expensive, but it really wasn't. It was actually pretty inexpensive when you stopped to think New York, you know, your Gombeons, right? So, we have a little bit of New York here in New Hampshire. - Yes. - All right, we're gonna take a little break and come back and speak some more with Nicole Hodgkin's of Acromatic, Jane Cormier, New HampshireTalkRadio.com. Here on Artful Living, stay with us. We'll be right back. (upbeat music) - Welcome back. Thank you for joining us, Artful Living, WKXL 1450 AM, 103.9 FM Concord, and 101.9 FM in Manchester, New HampshireTalkRadio.com. We have a great guest today, Nicole Hodgkin's, who is the owner of a shop, 57 North Main Street, Acromatic, and we've been talking a little bit with this young person, and I'm a fan, only because I have visited the store a few times, and every time I've left her store, I've left with a really, really good feeling, not only of what's in the store, merchandise-wise, and how it's set up and how it looks, but also that we have an entrepreneur here who is really working to make her dream come true, right here in Concord in downtown, downtown Concord. So we were talking a little bit about the fact that you went to Southern New Hampshire University, and you have your degree in-- - Fashion merchandising. - Merchandising, right, I keep going faster than that. - Fashion merchandising, and very specific, and you're back to get your master's in this. - Yep, yeah, I'm currently in it right now. - Good girl, good girl. All right, so Acromatic, now what made you form that name? - It kinda comes along with more of the vibe of the shop, and so I didn't know what I wanted to name it, but I knew what kind of store I wanted, and it all goes back to my personal style. I wear very neutral colors. I think that is so ideal to have in your closet, because you can mix and match anything together. It doesn't really matter the style, as long as you have those neutral colors. And so I remember as in one of my college classes, and I was searching names that kind of had to do, like synonyms and things, with neutral colors, that kind of a thing, and I knew I wanted one word. I wanted one word store name, and Acromatic popped up, and I saw it, and I just instantly fell in love with it. - What does it mean? - Like literally. - It's a color. - Without hues, so it's like black, white, greys, and so it just kind of aligned with the vision I had for the store, and I just knew instantly that was the name. - That's so cool. I did not know that that was like a real word. - Yeah, it is. - And you said again, it means-- - It's a color without hues. - Without hues, hues being any sort of pigment, so it's technically literally just black, white, and gray. - Those are the only ones, okay. - Yeah. - You seem learning something. - You know, Chromaticism is also part of music, and I was thinking to myself, maybe Nicole isn't your music. Chromatics is usually in music, something that isn't the most, what we consider sonorous music, and I was wondering if that was a play on the music, but no, you've already answered my question. That's beautiful, and so I noticed that the pastel theme is even on your website, but it's, she's got a beautiful little side, folks. You have to go to shop, acromatic, okay? And so we have a nice pastel lavender and gray, and then a beige pant leg with a hot pink shoe. - Yes. - And you know, it pops. That's kind of like your store when you walk in your store. - It is, I think the clothes are all very neutral, but with accessories, I love going all out. I love sparkle, I love bling, anything to do with like bright colors, like the shoe, purses, jewelry, headbands. I love adding that pop of color, and that's what's so great about the neutral colored clothes, is you can really dress up your accessories with that. - That's very New York. - Yes. - And I think it still is. It always was, I know in the 70s, 80s, and even the 90s, that having, you did not need to have a large closet full of clothes, if you knew how to use, like you said, these more neutral pieces, and then dress up them accordingly, dress them up accordingly. - Exactly. - So that you're still, you're going from there. So, for someone that really hasn't been in your store before, what would you want them to know about Acromatic? - I think it's a place to just come and have fun. I love when people just try things on, to try things on that they normally wouldn't. There's a lot of really unique pieces in there as well, as all of the basics. So, it's kind of a place you can come if you need something specific. If you're like, "Oh, I have this specific event I need to go to." I love helping people with that. But if you just want to come and play, and have fun, and step out of your comfort zone. - Yes, and you know what? I always say that these little shops are the best places to go, to find unique gifts. - Yes. - I really believe that. I have found some of the best gifts. I'm on the upper age spectrum. So, you know what? When I buy stuff now, I'm buying with the realization that, 'cause my age group, right, what do we really need? I mean, by the time you've become mature, your whole way of viewing shopping, I think, goes through a change, you know? So, I would much rather buy something, one of a kind, unique kind of thing, for someone that I know. And these shops like yours, Acromatic, I think, offer us an opportunity to do that. - Definitely, that's something I keep in mind when I'm picking out what I put in the store, is really giftable items. Because a lot of my customers do come in saying, "I have this friend who has a birthday, and I love having things for them to pick out for their friends and family." - That's nice. That is really nice. So, how do you go about deciding what should be in your store? That seems like such an overwhelming thing. - It is. A lot of it really just comes down to intuition and getting to know my customers and listening to what they want, what they like. I love when they pick up a piece, and they're like, "Oh, I love this if this zipper wasn't there, if this was a different shade." I really listen to them and what their feedback is, but it also comes down to my degree and learning how to forecast, knowing what is gonna be big, what colors are gonna be popular in six months from now, and just a lot of a mix of intuition and research. - Yes, I guess, and you know, what you would find appealing has to pop in there, too. - Yes, I do. - It's your store. - I do a lot of, if I would buy that for myself, other people must have. - I'm sure you don't do it all the time, but yeah, I would think that that would be a huge thing, right? - Definitely. - It's your store. But you know, one thing on here that I do like, that I really do like, is the fact that you have gift cards. - Yes. - I think especially since we have colleges around here, you know, we have a lot of Manchester in this area, you know, a lot of college-aged kids. That would be a great thing to let people know about, because that's a great gift. - It is. - But someone go in and purchase something that they see. - Yeah, that's something a lot of people don't know, actually, is that we are online and in-store, and so a lot of my customers are college students, and they'll be here for the summer, and then they go into a college, and we actually ship. So if they see anything I post on Instagram, or Facebook, or anything on the website, we can ship to them. - That's so awesome. I am so impressed with you. - Yeah. - You're such a with a gal. Good for you, and I think we just cannot support people that get out there and get are done, because especially in the environment where we're in today, I think it's a challenging environment for, you know, for stores, commerce in general, just because we're going through that kind of thing. But to see you while you're doing it, while you're learning about it, while you're in school for it, you're not waiting. - No. - You're getting up there and doing it. - I think that's important, and a piece of advice I would give to any young person. If you have something you want to do, why wait your whole life? Just try it now, and most of the time, if you have the dedication and the will to do it, it'll work out for you. - Do you find that there's an age, you know, age certain age level that comes into your store that supports or buys or whatever? - Definitely the younger crowd. I have a lot of middle school high schoolers, college students, but we really have something for everyone, my mom and my grandma, they both shop at the store pretty consistently, and so I try to have something for everyone, but I definitely cater to the younger crowd a lot. - Yeah. Well, you know what that would make sense. You're a youngster yourself, but you know what? I'm not, and I could tell you that walking through your store, there's a number of things that hit me when I come in every time that oh, you know, that's really cool, you know, oh, kind of thing. So I don't think that it's really age appropriate, but I was just wondering what you see, you know, in the selling of your merchandise. - Yeah, definitely. - Just more of a young crowd. - Young, and that was something I wanted. I felt like downtown didn't really have a place like when I was in high school, I grew up in Bono, New Hampshire, and I always wanted a place I could go downtown to buy my homecoming dress and things like that, and so that was something I wanted to have. - Wow, that's true. - Yeah. - I mean, because there are other shops, right, but if you're catering to a more young, youthful. - Yeah. - Yeah, part of the population. But that doesn't mean that, you know, that there's not something for everyone, there really is. So I see you have some home decor stuff too. - Yeah. - I don't recall seeing that, you know, but I probably wasn't looking for it at the store. - Yeah. - So like candles, art prints. Do you, how do you go about figuring out for home decor, what would go in there? - That kind of coincides with the clothing. I think what you wear really says a lot about your personality and it sets the tone for the day, and it's important to have a space that you go home to that also reflects that and makes you feel comfortable and like yourself, and so I really do the same thing as when I'm buying for clothes for home decor. I try to find things that I would feel good at to come home to. - That you would like to see in your space. - Yeah. - Interesting, very good. All right, we're gonna take a little break here. WKXL, New HampshireTalkRadio.com. You're with Artful Living. Jane, Komi, you're your host. Our guest today, Nicole Hodgkins from Acromatic, 57 North Main Street right here in Concord. Stay with us and we're gonna be coming right back. (upbeat music) - Welcome back. Jane, Komi, you're your host here, Artful Living. And we're at WKXL, 1450 AM, 103.9 FM Conquered, and 101.9 FM in Manchester. Our guest today is Nicole Hodgkins, who is a young entrepreneur, right here in Concord. She has a shop at 57th and North Main Street called Acromatic. And we have been chatting regarding, you know, a little bit about Nicole, a little bit about the store. And when we ended our last segment, we were talking about the fact that she has tons of stuff. If you go to shopacromatic.com, you'll pull up her site. And when you go into the shop, she has everything there. Home Decor, accessories, clothing, new arrivals, all that kind of stuff. And we were wondering, I asked her, how would you home decor, you know, be merchandiseed? And, you know, your answer was made sense, you know, just like the clothing, it's what shines for you. And, you know, you can buy it for your, your, you know, sell it as merchandise for your store. So here's a question that I've always wanted to ask, but I know so little about fashion, you know, like per se. Youth especially today, what do you think about a niche? I think acromatic should have a niche. Yes. And the niche could be offering advice or thoughts, conversation regarding young kids. You know, middle schoolers, high schoolers, college students in defining their own style. Yes. What do you think about that? I think that's always been in the back of my mind. I think acromatic is a perfect place to do it because everything is so neutral. You can kind of come in and start with a base and play. I mean, I have a lot of things that are super, super sparkly or really kind of outside of the norm of what you would find at other stores around here, like Target and TJ Maxx and things like that. And so I think it's all about trial and error. It's wearing something for a day, seeing how you feel in it. And that's ultimately what's the most important at the end of the day. I do have a theory and I don't know if it's correct. It's only a theory and observation perhaps. But I think that today, perhaps if we had, if we had interesting discourse with regard to developing your own personal style, I think youngsters would take advantage of it. I'm not sure that that discussion's really out there. It's not. And you know what? If you're talking about artful living, 'cause what is artful? Some people think art, you know, oh, it's art that's on the wall or it's music. No, artful, like you've said with us, is what enhances your life by its being. And that's essentially the definition of art. It makes living a higher place to be. Whether it's the two minute song or the beautiful jacket, right? I'm not sure though that that connection is being made. And I think that if someone young like you who had this beautiful little shop in the center of Concord offered an opportunity to start that discussion, you might be surprised by what happens with it. Yeah. So you know what? I think that acromatic should go into a, into some sort of, I don't know, what could we do? We're brainstorming here live on the radio. I know, I love it. You know, have a day of, I don't know, is there anything merchandising that you've learned about that you could do that would enhance, you know, a day for people to come in. Right. Or a group, a certain group invitation. Let's discuss her. I don't know. I know, yeah. I love having different events at the store. And so I think that's definitely right up our alley and something that I'll have to consider doing. Yeah, I think you could. I think that middle school especially. I think that anytime you can get them off those phones and directed towards something that is tangible. Because let's face it, fashion, beauty, how we live, is tangible. It is. And I'm not sure that we pay attention to it the way we could. It does make a difference in the quality of someone's life. It really does. And I think that's something that is so under thought about. I think that a lot of people think of fashion as, oh, it's just what I wear. I don't really care. It doesn't matter as long as it does the job. Right. Think about when you have a special event and you get all dressed up. Think about that feeling that you get when you're wearing something that you feel good in, that you love the color of. It brings so much to your day. Right. And I really believe that it's not that people don't care. And it's not that people don't have time. I think really, and this might not be for everyone. And you know what? Whatever floats your boat, that's fine, right? But I'm thinking that especially for youthful people, that having that discussion might open up something to just make things a little bit more interesting and fun for them. Definitely. Right, and who's gonna know to do it if no one's talking about it, right? Exactly. And you don't really need a ton of money to do that. You just need to define what you like. Exactly. What works for you, what will do it for you. And then go in search of what it is. Yeah, I read an article recently that was talking about how fashion is everything. It's the nail color you pick. It's the way you do your makeup. It's the way you style your hair. It's not just clothing. And I think that's something a lot of people don't understand or realize, and it really comes down to, I mean, the water bottle you carry, that is fashion. It's all part of it. It is all part of it. And I think we might know it on some visceral level, but I'm not sure that we know it to where we understand the part that it could play in day-to-day life, 'cause I think it could be enhancing. Exactly, yeah. And when I walk into your store, I really feel, isn't that weird? I feel like when I walk in there, first of all, there's a lot of white in your store. I like that. It is a brightness. It's a canvas to me when I walk in there. It's not overly, there's not so much merchandise that you're sort of standing there going, which way do you go first, right? It's airy, it's open, and it's bright. And it really allows you to enjoy where you're looking at the moment that you're doing it. Exactly, so was that planned for you? Did you plan all that? Yeah, I really, I took a mix of what I learned in school, but also just how I like to shop. And so one of the things I hear a lot of feedback on is I organize the racks by color instead of the shirts altogether, the pants altogether. I have all the green items together, all the purple items together. Cool. And that comes with how I like to organize my closet at home. They're certain colors that I just know I don't like wearing or that don't look good on me. And so I know I can, oh, red's not my color, I can skip that rack and I can go to the pinks and the grays that I prefer. So it comes down to how I like to shop and organize my own clothes and the feeling I like to have when I walk into a store. Very cool, yes, and there's so many things if you go online to shop acromatic. The, even the t-shirts that you have are the sweatshirts, right? They're just, they just have such statements to them. You know, they're so cute, some of them. But they're not just regular stuff like you'd say that you'd buy off a rack, you know, just anywhere. Right. How much time does it take you to decide what you're gonna purchase? It takes a lot of time because not only do you have to consider what you're buying but you have to consider the size ranges that are available in that piece or you have to consider the price point that it's gonna end up being. Is that something my customer is gonna pay for? Is that something that's gonna be long-term that I can have in the shop for months and months and months or is it something that's only trendy right now that in two weeks is gonna be something people don't want anymore? Right, that could be kind of scary, huh? It is, it's a risk you have to take every time. You have to hope you gamble correctly. Yes. And isn't that sort of the secret of life, right? You do the best prep you can, of course. Exactly. But you know what, there is no sure thing. Definitely say death and taxes are about it, right? Yep. But yeah, so is there a special thing that you look for in jewelry? I look for again what I would wear. I really like pieces that are not the costume metal. I like things that are like stainless or plated that I can wear because I'm a person who I wear my jewelry all the time, I never take it off. So I want something I can be constantly washing my hands and it's not gonna tarnish. And I like more delicate pieces and I think that is reflected a lot in the jewelry. I like the dainty, really just like feminine, pretty jewelry. I like to have things in gold, silver, rose gold, rose gold is my favorite. So that's important to me. Good. I can see that you offer a lot actually in jewelry. Yeah. Which, I was there before, where did it go? Did I turn out? I can't, I'm on the site here. I'm doing this as we speak. Yeah, no, I see that a lot of the products, for instance, you have a beautiful opal ring. Yeah, but it's sold out. Yeah, that one was very popular. I need to restock it. You need to restock it? That is a beautiful, it's got three, just simple. Yeah, little round stones. Yep. Beautiful. I see a lot of headbands, you know, headbands and clips and stuff. Yeah. Part of fashion. It is. Part of your look. It is, it all comes together. Yeah. The coaster is set for your home decor. Yeah. And I can absolutely see the connection now that we've spoken. Yeah. You know, through all the products. Very cool. So, when you start merchandising, like what time frames do you merchandise for? You know what I'm saying? 'Cause there's all different times of the year. Right. So, are you already set for winter? Yeah. So you're kind of always two seasons ahead. So in the spring, you're looking for fall items. In the summer, you're looking for winter items. There's markets that happen where buyers go to buy their inventory. And if you... How does that work? Oh, you know what? Well, wait. When we come out on the other side, I've always wondered, how do you do the buying? Yeah. How does that work? That'd be interesting to find out. So, we're gonna take a little break here. WKXL, New HampshireTalkRadio.com. Jane, call me or your host art for living our guests, Nicole Hodgkins. And we're gonna be right back. So stay with us. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) Welcome back. Jane, call me or your host here. You are with Artful Living WKXL, 1450 AM, 103.9 FM Conquered and 101.9 FM in Manchester. If you are just joining us, we've been having a great conversation with Nicole Hodgkins, who owns a beautiful little shop in downtown Conquered right on Main Street, Acromatic 57 with Main Street. And we were talking about, when we had the break, buying. I've always wondered how little shops go about the process of deciding, first of all, when they decide, which you answered. You said two seasons ahead is usually what you're doing. But the actual buying process, how do you go to buyers? How does that all work? Yeah, it's very interesting. They have these things called markets, and they're typically in big cities like Las Vegas, New York, Dallas. And they have them very frequently, at least a couple times a season. And I would say most buyers go, if you're a really big store, you go every season for someone like me. I try to go like every other year. And they have them in these huge conference centers, and all of the vendors and designers come in and have little booths. And the buyers can go in and see their merchandise. And usually, if the event is in January, it's gonna be spring, summer, inventory. And so you go in, you can feel the product, you can try it on, you can see what they're offering, talk with the owners of the vendors and things like that. And just kind of curate what works for your brand, what values and quality you want to have in your store. And so I like to go and kind of make those relationships. And then I can buy online through them throughout the year. Once I know I like their quality, I like the styles they have, I like their values. I can buy through them throughout the year for future seasons. - That is so cool. Can anybody go to those or is it only people that have shop? - You do have to have, they call it an EIN, it's a registered business number, so not just anyone can go. - Yeah, oh, must be fun though. - It is, you know, to be able to just see so many different outlets in one spot. It's fun, if you like shopping, it's basically just go shopping for three days and it is the most fun. - Oh my goodness, that is so cool. And so when was the last time you went? - Last time I went was, I think two summers ago, it's been a while actually since I've been, but they are so fun. - Oh, I bet. - Yeah. - That's very cool, very cool. All right, so tell us, tell our listeners. Short term and long term, where do you see Nicole Hodgkin's, you know, within a year? What are your goals within a year? And then, long term. - Yeah, I think within a year, I want to just continue to see the store grow and expand and be able to just connect with more people and grow the business long term. I am going for my masters, I would love to have a degree and be able to teach the fashion merchandising stuff. - Oh, cool. - It's kind of my main goal with getting my masters degree, but with the business, I would love to have maybe multiple locations and just continue to grow it to the point that I can kind of sit back and have it run itself. I think that would be super fun. - Right. So right now, you're there every day. - I'm there every day. - It's a lot of work, isn't it? - Yes. - Yeah, because you're responsible for everything. - Yeah, I do have one employee. She is great, her name's Kayla. - Nice. - And she's been wonderful to have in the shop. It's different because it's always been just me. She's the first person I've ever hired and so-- - Was that scary? - It was, but I got extremely lucky with her. She is the best employee. - There you go, that's nice. I'm sure it is because it's your baby. - It's very hard. It's very hard. - Yeah, there you go. So again, shopacromatic.com is the shop online, but it's a very cool stuff. And of course, if you go into the store, you get to see it and, you know, live up close enough. - Yeah, try it on. - Yeah, that's right. Very nice. And so our goal for long-term then is maybe just teaching. - Yeah, teaching and having more locations. - More locations. - Yeah. - Okay, so where would you go? - I think Portsmouth would be really fun. - I was really new, you're gonna say Portsmouth. - Yeah. Portsmouth would be really fun. I also have been really loving the Salem area, like the Tuscan. I think it'd be really fun to have a shop in there. That gives me New York, Boston vibes. So that would be really cool. - I definitely think Portsmouth is a natural. - Yes, definitely, definitely. - Have you looked at it lately? Have you looked like it? - I haven't looked recently, but when I was looking for storefronts, it was Portsmouth and Concord I was looking at, and ultimately I decided Concord for the first one, but Portsmouth is definitely on my radar. - Yeah, I can imagine that it would be. - Yes. - So would you have to move? - I probably would. It, I don't know, depending if I still have the store in Concord as well, I'm not sure. - Well, you know what, if you had two stores, that's an awful lot of responsibility. - It is. - I don't think people really understand what that means when you have your own business and you're doing what you're doing to run this store. - Yes. - This is big time. - It's a 24/7 job. - 24/7. You were saying your dad also is self-employed. What does your dad do? - Yeah, he works in the finance industry, and so he has his own business that works with life insurance and retirement planning and college planning. - Yeah, all self-employed, yeah. There you go. And here you are going to be building a fashion, a little fashion empire here in New Hampshire. - Hopefully, yeah. - Wouldn't that be cool? - Yeah, it would be so fun. - You know, do you watch the show Emily in Paris? Is it Emily? - I've seen it, yeah. - It's kind of a funny show. - Oh, yeah. - But all about the inner workings of fashion and merchandising, you know, 'cause she's in social media in the show. But you know what, it's kind of fun to see that side. - It is. - The situations that happen, you wonder if that's real or if they mood that up, but I imagine from what you're telling us, especially the buying end and the coordination of everything. - Yeah. - It's probably quite a story. - It is, it definitely keeps you on your toes. But it's fun because you get to do a little bit of everything. I do the social media, you do the buying, you do the customer service, you do the merchandising. You really do a little bit of it all, and it keeps it interesting. - Yeah, you don't have time to get bored for sure. - No. (laughing) Well, if you had everything that you wanted, I always ask this near the end of our conversations. If you had everything that you wanted, what would your big time dream be? - I think just to have a business that is sustainable for full time and that can really go the longevity, I would love a business that I can have for 30, 40, 50 years and be able to pass on one day to my kids or somebody that is super passionate about it. Just growing something that's worth something someday. - That will last. - Yeah. - Yeah, and have a statement while you're doing it. - Yeah. - Very good, very good. Well, I think that you've got a great little shop and I definitely will be stopping by at some point before too long passes by because the last time I blew through kind of quickly, I would like to be able to take a peek and really take a look at what you have. It's a beautiful little store for folks that haven't visited 57 North Main Street, Acromatic and they've got something for everyone. Although she merchandises a little bit toward a younger set, there's tons of things there that are not age, you know, they don't have age to them. They just have a really pretty vibe, you know, and that's really why I like your store. You have stuff from everything from fashion to hair stuff, you have home decor and out-of-wear. Yeah, I think it's great. Do you see yourself going any time in the future to a shopper, to a buyer convention? - I hope so. It's been hard with the store having a store front because you can't just take the time off that you could when you do online. - Yeah. - So that's been my biggest reasoning, but hopefully I can take a trip. - Did they tell you, did they tell you way in advance so that they're coming up? - Oh yeah, they usually have them about a year in advance, the dates. - Oh my goodness, really? - Yeah. - Wowie-zawie. - And did they come from international? The people as an international? - Some of it, yeah, some of it is made in America, some of it is internationally sourced, it's kind of a mix of everything. - Wowie-zawie. - Yeah. - You have to really know what you're about, don't you? - Yeah, I mean, they have thousands and thousands of vendors there, it's huge. - Wow. What are your store hours? - We are open 11 to six on the weekdays, Tuesday through Friday, weekends, we are 11 to five, and we're closed on Mondays. - Oh, you're closed on Mondays. - Yeah, but the one day. - Yeah, yeah, there you go. You have this really cool little bubble pink dress on this, do you still have that? It's like a little, it looks almost vinyl. - I do, I have that, I got that for homecoming this year, I think it would be so cute for someone to wear. - It is cute in coming, Dan. - Very pale, champagne pink. - Yeah. - And it's got like a little sheen to it, and three quarter sleeves is very cute. - Yes. - Very cute. Yeah, I was wondering if that was still there. - I do have that, yeah. People should go in and try that dress out, they're cute. - Yeah, absolutely. So, everybody, make sure you go and you visit Acromatic. I think it's great little shop, and Nicole, are you, do you live locally? - Yeah, I live in Bow still. - And what year are you at, where are you at school, where are you still at? - No, I'm doing Drexel University online. - Wow. - Yeah, they do a quarter system, so I hopefully have about three quarters left. - Oh, how cool. - Yeah. - So you don't have to go anywhere, you just do it online. - Exactly, yeah. - So do you know, do Southern New Hampshire do any grad work, or is it just bachelor's? - They do grad work, isn't it? - Not in fashion merchandising, though. - I see. So you're taking care of business by yourself. - Yes. - Online, I love it. Go get 'em, girl. - Yes. - All righties, thank you. You know what, I hope everybody goes and enjoys this shop. It's a beautiful little shop right in downtown Concord, and we thank our listeners for joining us today here on Artful Living. Nicole, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it. - Thank you for having me. - Oh, it's been a pleasure. WKXL 1450 AM 103.9 FM Concord, and 101.9 FM in Manchester. Everybody, you have a great day out there, and we'll talk to you next time. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music)