On Ryan: cuteheads seersucker Vineyard Dress // available at cuteheads.com // Photos by Ashley Cardoza

I remember as a little girl, I would play “store.” In other words, I would pretend to sell things to an unwitting little brother, and force him to go shopping. I’m sure he loved that. As I grew, I graduated to selling actual things I would make, like lemonade and even jewelry. I didn’t particularly like shopping garage sales, but I did like having them. Having two entrepreneurial parents, I was always (subconsciously & outwardly) encouraged to pave my own path, and it always fascinates me how others got to where they are in their business journey. No two journeys are the same, and that’s what’s exciting about it; there’s no listicle you can follow and no wiki to show you exactly how to open a successful business. You kind of have to try and fail 1000 times before you can get to that 1001st successful time. And that’s what lead me to Brooke Feather.

Wife, mother of two, and now shop owner of the beautiful and well-merchandised Brooke Feather boutique in River Oaks, I’ve known Brooke (or known of her) for a very long time. So I was thrilled when she opened her namesake store in Houston; you instantly understand what you’re going to find inside when you walk in. She carries bigger-named brands as well as small brands put there for you to discover, and a wide range of price points, all with that same Cali vibe that she’s become known for.

I sat down with Brooke to talk with her about her store, motherhood, and balancing it all:

Tell me a little bit about why you opened Brooke Feather.

I have always struggled with what I wanted to do in terms of a career. I went to law school but didn’t want to practice law. I have always wanted a creative outlet and my own space, but I couldn’t envision what that looked like. I didn’t think I had any certain “talent” in the conventional sense. All it took was working in one boutique and I just feel in love. There were a thousand reasons not to do it – but I kept taking the steps to make it happen. I did it to fulfill something in myself.

Have you always been entrepreneurial, or did this dream develop later in life?

I have never considered myself entrepreneurial at ALL! This is definitely something that developed later in life and I think I inherited it from my father.

What’s a typical day like for you?

A typical day: I have not yet fallen into a completely regular schedule yet. I think the first year AT LEAST in a new business takes up all of your time. But I also have a family. So right now, 6 months in – I wake up earlier than I would like. Post on instagram. Answer e-mails. Get up with my kids and get everyone moving. Get to the store usually by 10 when we open. Work at the store all day – tons of e-mails, contacting vendors, ordering, selling, running the business, merchandising the store – anything and everything involving the store. Look at my watch and can’t believe it’s almost 6. Head home and play with the kids before tucking them into bed. Eat dinner with my husband while we try to stay awake until 8:30pm. Repeat.

What would you say is your shop’s point of view or style?

l really wanted to bring the west coast style home to Houston. I have spent a lot of time in California and there is a relaxed, effortlessly casual yet still put together look out there that I really felt was missing here. Of course “effortlessly casual” is a look that probably requires the most effort of all!

What has been your greatest success so far?

My greatest success so far in my mind is just the fact that all the work I have done over the last 2 + years has paid off in the fact that the doors are open. The store has been well received, we have wonderful customers, I have a great team working with me at the store. But for me I feel the most pride in the fact that I finally pursued something I really wanted to do and that gives me a great sense of fulfillment.

What has been your greatest challenge?

There have been so many challenges I can’t even begin to name the greatest! But I have realized that there is a new challenge every day so I do the best I can with each one and then wait for the next and do the best I can with that one. One of my favorite quotes is “I will make better mistakes tomorrow.”

You’re also a busy mom and a wife. How do you balance it all?

I don’t balance it all! Does anyone really? I stayed home with my first daughter for 5 years and I think that being a stay at home mom is one of the toughest jobs around. I now have a huge admiration and respect for the women I knew who were working and trying to balance everything at home too. I just do the best I can every day. Sometimes the scale tips too far in one direction and I just try and bring the balance back. I have a lot of support from my family. My husband is my biggest champion and it makes me incredibly happy when he calls me at the store and I am too busy to talk – because I spent years calling him at work and he was too busy and I never understood that. And I try to remember that I am doing something that I think will make my kids proud of me.

If you could give one piece of advice to a person interested in opening her own store, what would it be?

I would say that you have to be very passionate about it in order to make it happen. You have to hire good people – this is not something you can do on your own. It’s a business just like any other business. So know that it is extremely hard work but incredibly rewarding.