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Thats still the case.
Courtesy of elysewalker
When you live here, its a whole different thing [from what you see on the news].
While Walker didnt lose her actual home, her store wasin so many wordsher home.
So our love for the town will never change.
you’re able to either stay home and weep, or be resilient.
I have people on the Palisades team that have been with me 22 years, Walker says.
Sonia in my stockroom, 18 years.
Jen, 12 years.
Molly, 10 years.
Aja, 10 years.
Summer, 10 years.
This content can also be viewed on the site itoriginatesfrom.
And its because of those people that Walker hopes youkeep on shopping.
She wants you to visit her brick-and-mortar locations.
She wants you to have funperusing her website.
She has a lot to say.
Glamour: How has this year changed you, and how are you doing today?
Elyse Walker:Each day is different.
Some days Ill put the pedal to the metal, regroup, recharge.
So many people launched their careers from that Elyse Walker store.
I have people on my team that get invited to their clients weddings.
So that bond we all have?
None of that burnt down.
Thats a powerful way to look at things.
Those four walls will not define the good weve done together or the work weve done together.
Maybe I was giving a pep talk at the time, but its true.
Did we hit a bump in the road?
As I sometimes say in planning meetings, it mightve been a pothole.
But we can change the tire.
We did it with the pandemic.
Our team rolled up their sleeves.
We launched our website, which was a huge change because we are mainly a brick-and-mortar, touch-and-feel-in-the-dressing-room company.
And yet the pandemic made us stronger.
If you could get through that, and we did, then we can get through this.
Our team has something special.
If I knew how to bottle it, like Newman salad dressing, Id be a really wealthy lady.
But were good at what we do and always willing to learn.
How have you felt supported by the community?
Clients constantly reach out to us.
Even Kyle Richards said, Elyse, the Housewives want to support you.
We did one yesterday in Las Vegas; Im doing one in Miami in three weeks.
So Id say this mighty little team has great values and strong camaraderie and support.
What are you doing for yourself on a daily basis to bring some happiness?
I adopted a rescue, named Bianca.
So thats what I did to put a smile on my face.
I rescued a puppy.
So, how are you breaking the rules, and what does breaking the rules mean to you?
I think it means not being a follower.
Ive seen a lot of fabulous companies lose their voice because they start doing what others are doing.
And in my career, some of the mistakes Ive made is because I actually got influenced by others.
We see e-com as almost an additional store to the Elyse Walker umbrella.
Its a digital store, open 24 hours a day.
And as a result, weve had sales in almost every state in the country.
There was a timeonly a few years agowhere every article said retail brick-and-mortars dead.
We sat in our office and were like, What are they talking about?
Its honestly never been stronger.
So break the rules, not just in fashion, but in anything.
My mother was a shoe retailer.
I was surrounded by products and samples.
My fathers still in the wholesale side of the shoe business.
And I was so proud of them.
I loved what they did.
Thats just not what I thought I was going to ever do.
Plus, it was the 80s and I liked working with numbers and things.
I wanted to work on Wall Street.
But that didnt happen.
My mom got sick, and it forced me into the business.
Again, I was so proud of them, but it just wasnt part of my plan.
And by the way, this fire thing wasnt part of my plan either.
It wasnt part of the plan to not have her at my wedding, or meeting my children.
So that first chapter when I took over Capretto shoes in Scarsdale was challenging for so many reasons.
But Ive always had a love for the business, especially the shoe business.
And then you just do what you have to do.
You roll up your sleeves and get the job done.
I dont have to be in retail.
What am I going to do?
And within 24 months, I was back in retail and I launched Elyse Walker.
It wasnt really about fashion for me, but more about bringing people together.
Im very social and I love building a team.
I happen to love budgets.
My husband and I love to build.
We literally love to be under construction.
I like to build both internallywith people inside the buildingand then structurally.
I call it the architecture of retail.
Its actually planning how a client walks in the store.
What do they feel?
Where should the denim go?
Where should the shoe department go?
Where should checkout be?
I like the whole process of the flow.
So what advice would you give to people who arent sure of what their career should be?
Im still not sure what my career should be!
Thats what I would say to them.
I always say Im just warming up.
Theres so much more I want to do.
Ive had chapters that were years long.
Ive had collaborations that are months long.
Were always trying new things.
If you want to work in a restaurant, start off in the kitchen cleaning dishes.
I did not want to use my name.
I was in LA, and it was at the time of Tracey Ross, Lisa Kline.
Everyones store was named their name, and they were all doing really well.
But I didnt want to feel like I was in anyones shadow.
I like to break rules, like I said.
But oh my God, did we kill ourselves trying to come up with a name.
Everyones like, No.
Not that anythings wrong with a butterfly, but it doesnt go with our store.
But thats how desperate I was to give a shot to find something.
But the nice thing about Elyse Walker is its feminine and masculine.
So it wound up being Elyse Walker.
I still dont know what I would name it if it wasnt that.
Thats really fascinating, and I love your honesty.
Im curious then, what would you say is the most underrated quality in a boss?
Thinking you know more than everyone else.
The other thing is, youre going to make mistakes.
I cant expect you to be a perfect buyer.
I cant expect you to be a perfect manager.
I cant expect every seller to have the perfect styling technique.
Were all a work in progress, right?
But okay, you hit a road block and maybe that client wasnt happy.
Lets get through it and fix it the best we can.
I put that on myself as well.
What is your favorite quality in an employee?
But loyalty is not always meaning were going to work together forever.
There is a respect of what weve done together, whether its been three months or 30 years.
So, respect and loyalty.
And I tried to follow the same.
Whats a favorite piece of advice you love to share?
Dont be afraid to fail because youll never achieve anything.
