North Bay Woman Magazine
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1302487
F A L L 2 0 2 0 NORTH BAY WOMAN 23 By Pam Cook "B etween answering emails from customers...making a new post on social media and responding to all the comments, remembering to thank a friend for the flowers and lemons she brought the day before, making sure to prepare some packages for my husband to send, and feeling guilty about not being able to watch our son's black belt training … I completely dropped that ball." Sound familiar? Women, especially working moms, are constantly juggling, yet, if we forget one thing, we feel like we have failed. That one thing for Shunzi Che, was a customer. She missed an appointment with a good customer at her store, and she knew then, she had to make some changes. You may have strolled down Fourth Street in San Rafael or Kentucky Street in Petaluma and noticed a colorful shop, with windows filled with fun clothing that you don't find anywhere else in the North Bay. That's Shun- zi, named after the owner, who greets you at the door and is excited to tell you the stories behind the fashion she has chosen for her stores. "It's a place for people who want to ex- press themselves," says long-time customer Leyla Hill. She says she comes to Shunzi because the clothes are timeless, not trendy and especially now, "I refuse to be confined to sweats. You can be comfortable and still look good and put together." Che says she heads to trade shows and fashion events to find "interesting pieces." As she showed me around her store, she described how she thinks about her custom- ers when she buys for her store — their style, " Geing to know my customers and being inspired by them has become something I cherish. " – Shunzi Che, owner of Shunzi boutique in San Rafael Page 22: Shunzi Che at her namesake boutique in San Rafael. After closing of the Petaluma location, Che is excited to focus on the San Rafael store and elevate it to the next level with a clear vision and direction. Above: This table is the first thing a customer sees when entering Shunzi boutique. Through the years, it has greeted numerous happy customers, presenting countless beautiful pieces. – Photo by Amanda Wongsonegoro, courtesy of Shunzi Che