Twenty-year-old Colby Fournier followed her dream and recently held a grand opening for Goldie & Co., her new women’s fashion store in downtown Eatonton.
The former John Milledge Academy student said she was encouraged to set up shop by her friend, Lexi Camp, who operates a hair salon at the back of the shop.
“She had this space open and available, and I had been thinking about doing something like this, so I just decided to take a leap of faith and go for it,” said Fournier, who also is a skilled embroiderer who enjoys creating unique designs for clients. She was working on a custom “Bulldogs” sweatshirt while describing her shop.
Fournier said she’s always held an interest in fashion and previously worked in a boutique near Lake Oconee. Now, she’s excited about the opportunity to make her passion her livelihood. She not only does her purchasing seasonally at Atlanta’s fashion marts but also models many of the clothes herself in Facebook posts.
“I’ll be making my next trip (to the fashion marts) in April. There are hundreds of vendors there and you just walk around, they have all of their stuff on display, and they usually come in a shipment. So, you order five of this, five of that, and you buy the clothes there and they'll send them and then you resell everything,” Fournier explained.
She said she tries to consider not only what she likes but also what might have wide appeal.
“So there are some things that I like and some things that are trending right now,” Fournier said. “But just about anyone from high school to however old can wear them and look great and feel great.
“I guess I’d say it’s for fashionable people who just want to dress nice,” she added.
Fournier also said the city of Eatonton was easy to work with and she received all necessary permits and licenses “a lot easier” than she expected.
“I really thought it was going to be a lot more complicated, but once I went in there and told them what I needed, they helped me out right away and it was easy and we got through it all pretty quick,” she said. “I would tell someone thinking about doing something like this to take it and run with it. It could be scary, but you'll be glad you did it in the end.”
Find Goldie & Co. (113 S. Jefferson Ave., Eatonton) on Facebook at facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555935557475, call 706-817-6457, or send email to goldieandco2024@gmail.com for more information.