I have been wanting to do this blog post for a long time now, and I am so excited that I finally had the chance to do this. For several years a boutique in Downtown Lowell has had a special place in my heart and when I heard a new owner had taken over I had to meet her and I had to interview her. Because of this blog that I run I have had the opportunity to meet so many people and experience so many different aspects of everyday living.
I want to give as much as I am given and more and I am just enormously proud of what this extremely intelligent and vivacious woman has done with Humanity and I hope you all enjoy the time I spent with her, the pictures we took and the conversation we had about all things Humanity! I was feeling super confident and carefree in these pictures below!
Let me introduce to you Ani V. She is the owner of Humanity Boutique, funny, smart, outgoing, intelligent, confident and just an all around nice person. From the minute you walk into her store she is super friendly and makes you feel welcomed and invited. No one is judged in her store and all styles are accepted and appreciated. She has this presence about her that makes you feel completely in control of everything and her encouragement about what you can wear and how you can wear it is invigorating. Over the course of our interview I was so enlightened by what she had to say. She has so much vision for what she wants to do for Humanity, herself and the women who shop at her store.
TN:
How did you become a part of Humanity before you became the owner?
Ani V:
I worked in Downtown for Giovanni’s Trends since 2003, when humanity opened up in 2008 we knew each other , eventually all the employees were let go from Giovanni’s trend, I had been offered a job at Humanity before but hadn’t taken her up on her offer . I was then hired in 2012 to eventually become a partner in the ownership of the store and to also eventually take over the store. I was never really ready to take over the store, I lacked the confidence to take over, the mental capacity. Eventually the owner was ready to move on and gave me an ultimatum with one day to decide on taking over the ownership. I spoke to my mom and my friend who was a lawyer, I wanted to get a professional opinion and they completely backed me up. So I decided to go for it!
TN:
What inspired you you to take over ownership?
Ani V:
I was inspired by my mom, she was a single mother raised two girls, taught us to be strong and confident and go for what you want. At the time I felt like a wanderer, I had graduated but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I know what I liked and that I liked fashion and clothes but didn’t know what I could do with that. When I spoke to my mom about this she said to go for it, that this opportunity may not come again and that was the push I needed to move forward.
TN:
What are you inspired by when you set up your store?
Ani V:
I get inspiration from my travels. Growing up I had family in the Bay Area, and I would go every summer to stay there and as I got older I would save up my own money and go more than once a year. Seeing the fashion out there and also in New York and Boston inspired me as well. Seeing the different types of woman in all these places and seeing how confident they were in how they were and what they wore was/is an inspiration for me.
TN:
What’s your vision and goal for Humanity?
Ani V.
I really want to market and promote woman empowerment. Loving yourself, thinking positively no matter what happens in your life and encouraging each other. That is my next step, because it’s called Humanity. I am the type of person who loves to meet new people and learn different cultures. I want to learn different languages even if its just to say hello in every language. My goal for humanity is just to be a safe haven for all types of woman to come in and not feel judged or looked upon right when they come in. No one likes to be treated that way so I wouldn’t treat them that way. So really a campaign to love ourselves and love each other!
TN: How would you describe your personal style?
Ani V. My personal style has changed so much over the years, From when my mom bought my clothes up until I was able to buy my own clothes in high school. I went from super alternative (corduroy baggy pants) , tight beaded necklace, hair parted down the middle to super preppy, Banana Republic and J. Crew. After that I was making my own money and I started exploring city life, Boston, New York and San Francisco. My love for street style came from those travels. I see a lot of women’s personalities and individuality in street style. Being a woman is so fun, you can completely switch up your style from super feminine and flirty; wear a cute dress or tomboyish and dressed down. Converse or vans , jeans rolled up with hair tied up. That’s why is so fun being a woman you can wear whatever you want to wear, this doesn’t mean your personality changes or who you are changes. But we can express ourselves and who we are through our clothes.
TN:
What are your favorite things about Lowell?
Ani V.
Oooh, I have a lot of favorite things about Lowell. I grew up here, moved here in 84. I love the fact that their are so many different types of culture here. Constantly having new people move in and out, and living in a city that has the second largest Cambodian population in America. The older I get I realize i should embrace that. Especially since many people aren’t used to being around so many ethnicity’s and around their own cultures. I also love how Lowell is so community oriented. When I first took over the store, random people I had never met came in and said they had heard I bought the store and wished me good luck.
TN:
What is your favorite restaurant in Lowell?
Ani V.
I like to go to each of the different restaurants for different things. I enjoy all of it and how friendly everyone is. I have a favorite food in every place I go to.
TN:
What are your hobbies?
Ani V.
I really enjoy reading about history, not just American history but the entire world’s history. I love to learn a lot about Aliens. I love being in nature and discovering new places. I really love to travel, but not going along major highways. I like to go along paths people don’t usually go. I like to capture every moment, because you will never get it again. I love looking back at all the old pictures and looking at what all the people were ding and what they are doing now. I love to eat, I love looking for new restaurants and eating new foods.
I had such a great time speaking with Ani and getting to know her and what she was about. She also let me model all these different clothes, pictures below. Hope you all enjoyed this great interview I had with her. Make sure if you are in the area to stop by her store and shop a little…or a lot!
Instagram: @humanitystyle (#humanitystyle & #loveforhumanity)
Love & Peace
Timna 🙂
