Zoë's Story
House of Culture is proud to be a family owned business. I, Zoë Petty, am honored to carry on the legacy by serving as the Creative and Digital Director - a story that started many years ago. Let me tell you my story.
House of Culture has always been the epicenter of my life and the foundation that shaped me. As I reflect it was fate calling out for House of Culture to continue its story through me, clues about my future role appearing throughout the years. As a baby I would nap in the dressing rooms. At 2, when I wasn’t watching VCR tapes from my pack n play, I would walk around the store in the high heels we kept in the dressing room for customers. When I was 10 I decided I wanted to be a fashion designer, or a fashion critic depending on the day, but fashion was always at the forefront. In elementary and middle school I would spend each afternoon in the store. I’d get off of the school bus, go to the store and do my homework in the dressing rooms. My prom dresses? They all came straight from our family business. When I was 18 my father took me to my first buyers show at the Javits Center in New York. At 23, after gradating college, the pieces of the puzzle finally connected: Creative Director! I got the idea to expand the store. It had always been in the back of my mind in stored away in the one-day section. The following week I created a communication plan. Over the next 9 months I purchased the domain, taught myself how to use Shopify, photoshop, lightroom, and procreate. I updated our logo, took over the Instagram; even made a TikTok. All while continuing to connect more intimately with customers. After pouring countless hours, late nights, and sweat into building our website from the ground up - I was filled with an overwhelming sense of pride when that final "Launch" button was clicked on November 1st 2021. HOCBoston.com was completely created by me. It was the first time in my life that a deadline, this case launch, was not the end of something but the beginning. In that moment, through my sleep deprivation, all of my lived experiences came together. I wrote this note to our customers:
"HOCBoston.com is live. Over the almost 3 decade span we have focused on giving our customers wonderful in store experiences. From keeping a list of events customers are going to ensure no outfit repeats to listening to enough personal stories to charge a co-pay. I grew up in this store. From a pack n play to picking out my prom dresses. This store is an integral part of my story. I had the pleasure of building the website and every single detail that went into it to expand the life of House of Culture. I am proud of this site and bringing the charm of House of Culture to the internet. Here's to us and the House of Culture community we have created.
xo,
ZP”
I remember learning that many small businesses are often one generational, this fact always remained in the back of my mind. I'm driven to help expand House of Culture and maximize our potential as a business and community. Nothing brings me more satisfaction than watching this dream transform into reality It warms my heart knowing how far our story together has come already. From being my father’s story, to a story we now share together. House of Culture has always been much more than "just" clothing-filled walls around me: It's home, and I intend on carrying on this legacy for as long as possible.