People express themselves as boutique owner smiles

* Name: Sherry Gravitt

* Owner/manager: Encore Consignment Boutique

* First job: Worked in designer handbags at The Vogue on Brainerd Road.

* Best part of the job: "I love to dress people and I love for people to look great in what they wear and to kind of step out of the box. You've got a lot of people who come in that are fairly conservative. They think they can only dress one way, and many times I have put something totally different on them." Recently, she said, she helped a customer put together an unexpected outfit. "When she walked out of the dressing room, she was smiling from ear to ear. She was really happy with how she looked in the mirror. And she looked so much younger."

* Worst part of the job: "Season changes. We process 200 pieces every day. When a season changes, we have to change out the store. We have to get rid of everything every season. It's a lot of work."

* Best advice: "If you truly want to be an entrepreneur, you need to know what to expect. A lot of people have really no clue, which is why I suppose small businesses don't last. I have so many people who come in and say, 'Oh, this looks like fun.' It's business."

* How to make a career of it: "If you want to be me when you grow up, learn everything you can about business. If you don't have a business background, if you don't know anything about marketing and advertising, you'll be lost." Gravitt holds a bachelor's degree in advertising. "When I graduated," she said, "it was a man's world."

-- Compiled by staff writer Holly Leber

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