Know Your Neighbor
For many years, Lisa Ballou had two main interests–writing and fashion.
Ballou went to journalism school at the University of Colorado at Boulder and has spent most of her career working in public relations. Now she has found a way to tap into her other passion.
Along with her friend and fellow Chappaqua resident Susan Goodman, Ballou launched StyleCycle, a personalized service that helps women make over their wardrobe by weeding out the unused or outdated clothing and putting together fashionable outfits from what they have. The nice thing about what they do is that it doesn’t cost their clients much money.
“We’re not saying you need a new wardrobe, just a few key things, and that is sort of our goal,” Ballou said. “That’s really what we’re doing.”
Like many woman–and let’s face it, men for that matter, as well–Ballou and Goodman, who worked in the garment industry, realized there are times most people buy clothing they hardly use. Maybe they were impressed with how something looked on the rack or bought an item while shopping with a friend but realized the piece wasn’t really them.
Using Ballou’s marketing and PR skills as well as her natural affinity to organize and Goodman’s fashion expertise, they discussed starting their own business that would help women maximize the clothing they have to develop a personalized look.
“We looked at each other and said we have to do this. If we don’t do this somebody else is going to do it,” Ballou recalled. “(Goodman) has strengths that I don’t have at all and I have strengths that she doesn’t have and we’re really good friends.”
The clothing that’s tossed aside is sold to consignors either in shops or online, Ballou said. Typically, their clients receive 40 to 50 percent of what the item sells for.
Since StyleCycle’s start in April, Ballou has been busier than she could have imagined. While most of the clientele has been local, she and Goodman have been making contacts throughout the metropolitan area.
Of course, some potential clients have been hesitant to let them peek inside their closet, let alone help them make decisions. But Ballou makes it clear that virtually everyone has made mistakes with clothing purchases.
“Our biggest hurdle is (some) people are too embarrassed to show their closet,” she said. “And the thing is, we don’t judge. We all have that.”
A Chappaqua native, Ballou, 43, graduated from Horace Greeley High School in 1987 before going to college in Colorado. She studied journalism and stayed out in Boulder the first year after graduation to work for a small public relations firm.
“To me, like fashion or like organizing, putting a sentence together feels really good, the way the words sound together,” said Ballou, who lives with her husband, Andy, and their three children. “I always loved fashion but couldn’t be a designer because I couldn’t draw.”
Ballou moved back to New York soon after to work in corporate communications, then took on PR and marketing for a variety of clients, including for a hedge fund in Los Angeles. Locally, she worked for Harrison-Edwards, a Bedford Hills public relations firm, but eventually sought new challenges.
“I really didn’t want to do the PR/marketing anymore,” said Ballou, who likes to hike, do yoga and spend time with her family. “I didn’t want to be selling stories, but I’ve loved the writing part.”
Instead, she began to do freelance reporting for local media, a side of writing that she hadn’t previously explored. During the past five years, Ballou has written for Inside Chappaqua, and more recently for Patch and The Northern Westchester Examiner. She also took on public relations work for the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps, which has been trying to recruit more volunteers, to help a critically important organization in her home community.
While Ballou will always enjoy writing and hopes to do more in the future, most of her attention now is devoted to making StyleCycle a success. She anticipates that the business will go in seasonal cycles. Ballou also said at some point she and Goodman may add a service to help prepare the college student going away from home for the first time.
So far, helping their clients has been gratifying.
“Making people feel good feels really good,” Ballou said.
For more information, visit www.Stylecycle.com or e-mail info@Stylecycle.com.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
