Meet Trailblazer Sarah Silvas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Silvas.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Sarah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
From as early as can remember I’ve always had my eye, and heart, for community, creativity, problem-solving, leadership, risk-taking, and rebelling. Fascinating enough, when you shake these all up together, you’ll end up with the cocktail for entrepreneurship. From hustlin’ pogs on the Catholic school playground & slinging lemonade on neighborhood corners to running a budding Colorado music blog & owning/operating a yoga studio, I’ve always been passionate about finding intriguing ways to express myself. As you can see, my journey has taken me to and fro, dabbling and deep-diving into organizational leadership and business management; in fact, these are the areas of study I pursued in college.

Yet my journey hasn’t only been one of the start-ups and business building; I’ve used my education, background, and experiences to cumulatively build a solid foundation in what some may call, “corporate America.” I think that in the entrepreneurial world, having a 9-5 can catch a bad rap, yet I’ve straddled both tracks in a way where I drink the nectar of both.

I’ve been working in higher education administration for nearly seven years and I’ve learned more about people, communication, customer service, and resilience than I could have ever imagined. Prior to that, I spent significant time in the professional beauty product world as the Senior Executive Assistant to the President of several prominent brands. I can’t discount these experiences, nor what they’ve afforded me to do. They are part of the very fabric of my life, and in fact, where I’ve learned so much about actually doing the work of running an impactful, mission-driven, organization. Because of my experiences in “corporate America,” I thank my lucky stars as I now grow the venture of my heart, Rizzo’s, my efforts are a little more Tried & True, a little less ‘spaghetti on the wall.”

For years, my roots had grown wide through various and simultaneous enterprises. Although it wasn’t until a year ago that those roots grew dense in integrity, realness, and true grit.

The aforementioned undertakings have all been expressions of what “I’m good at,” “What’s a ‘safe bet’,” “What will look good on paper,” “What will get me from A to B,” “What someone else told/asked/expected me to do for their appeasement/pride.” (Raise your hand if you’ve found yourself in the same shoes at one point or another in your life.)

The thing is, when I did just about anything for any other reason than setting a beat for the song of my own heart, I wasn’t doing it for me – I was doing it for someone or something else. Yet, at the same time, every single one of the mentioned milestones leads me to exactly what I needed to see, who I needed to meet, what I was about to create.

I was following breadcrumbs, but I was missing a key ingredient.

All that changed in July of 2018 when something struck me. Clear as a bell, bright as a diamond.

A message spoke up and said, “The time for a vintage clothing company is now. Name it Rizzo’s.”

Chills ran through my spine. The immense clarity in the message was striking. The vivacity filled me with is indescribable.

I always knew I wanted a vintage shop since my first job as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity Thrift as a tween; but I never thought “now.” I imagined it would be named “East/West Spoils,” after the Great Gatsby of course, full of antiquities of the world. I supposed it would be a retirement plan for myself. I thought, “not now.”

But I knew deep down to trust this lightning strike, and I have from that very moment.

Maybe the scariest thing was telling my husband and family, which is my own shit. But they know me well. They know I have many passions and I pour myself into them. I was scared they’d say, “Oh not another one of your wild hair ideas Sarah.” But guess what? They didn’t. They said it made total sense. They said that Rizzo’s is me, and they’re behind me.

Those votes of confidence and the gentle yet powerful support of a broader collective of babes along the way have nurtured my creative garden. They’ve watered me, and in turn, I’ve tended to Rizzo’s as if she’s the heart I wear on my own sleeve. To now see her grow is to fill that very heart with unimaginable giddiness, smiles, and elation. And damn, I get to do this, feel this, every damn day. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s been a cakewalk. Just kidding!

I was just joking with my mom recently that my road has been less of a solitary one and more of entirely different highways littered with potholes and blessed with breathtaking views. Because I’ve traveled life’s many proverbial backroads and byways I’ve experienced handfuls of beginnings, which don’t come about without goodbyes.

Goodbyes, endings, closures combine as a unifying theme I’ve been exploring with passion as of late, and a theme that’s posed as a struggle in business and entrepreneurship. Examining old ways of being around endings and acknowledging my very human tendency to want to “ghost” or to “burn it all to the ground” on my way out was eye-opening for me. Once I was able to identify that tendency and notice exactly where in my life that I unskillfully engaged in those behaviors, then I was able to make choices around being a participant with transitions, rather than being a victim of them.

I found out that my many interests would pull me deep into something, and then as a particular path ran its course, I knew it was time to make a shift – yet wouldn’t know how to detach in integrity. And so I would hang around far too long, stress myself out, get frustrated with myself and others, and wind up feeling quite “stuck” until I just had enough; I would make myself the victim of a circumstance I was complicit in. I confidently know I’m not the only human who’s struggled with this. If this is you too, I’m holding up a love sign for ya babe.

Looking at this behavior pattern, and knowing that if I really want to honor who I am as a multi-interested person, I absolutely needed to get better at goodbyes and having hard conversations because I will be finding myself in closures in the future. Yes, coaching and therapy around this topic have helped, yet the practice is the key. Am I perfect at goodbyes now? Absolutely not. Am I better, and more in integrity with them now than before? Absolutely.

I now am able to approach conflict and hard conversations with positivity and curiosity. I’m able to notice when I’m feeling stir crazy and it’s time to shake things up. I’m able to take self-responsibility for my feelings and not put it on anyone else to satisfy my need for freshness and creativity. I’m able to tell another when something doesn’t feel right or it’s time for me to move on. With perfection? No. With intention and curiosity and openness to feedback? Yes.

So to go back to your initial question, I believe that my biggest struggles have been self-imposed. I know, so human right?! Willingness to look at where I participate or perpetuate bullshit in my life is key though. And it’s hard work. But I show up for every day, trying to human just a little bit better with each morning sun.

Advice for other young women just starting out on their journey?
Well, related to all of this I’d say that if you’ve got many interests, try ‘em on! So many folks poo-poo on breadth over depth in entrepreneurship, but I’ve found that I couldn’t specialize now in Rocky Mountain Rock n’ Roll vintage slingin’ until I generalized in a whole heck of a lot else. And that’s ok.

If this is you: you have so many interests you don’t know what to pursue, just start somewhere. It’s all going to lead you to where you need to go. Trust that. And when that thing you started with begins to fizzle or transition, that’s ok too. As you transition though, remember the people, the connections, relationships and honor them. Promise you, most of them will be an ally to you if you’re an ally to them later on down the road. Honor them with honest goodbyes. Those who, because of their own shit, can’t meet you where you’re at when it’s time for you to transition probably aren’t going to be one of those allies. And that’s ok too. If you bring your full self, honor your commitments, share truthfully, and are open to feedback on how you impact others, yet someone just can’t get behind your transition, it’s not your job to convince them. It can be a struggle to sit with the fact that not everyone will like, support, cheerlead you. But it’s only a struggle as long as you cling to needing to be liked. Let it go, babe. But let it go with integrity, don’t ever lose YOU along the journey.

We’d love to hear more about Rizzo’s.
Gosh, who am I and what do I do? Hahahaha!

Well, I’m a more-is-more kinda babe who was born this way. I think just about everything has the potential to be delightfully overstated, so why the hell not toss some fringe, studs, and glitter on it? Everything is made better by fringe (a fact not a statement).

I’m an aces high livin’, titillating-tale teller, fierce footwear stompin’, product of a bull rider and classic rock maven. I was beltin’ the Stones from horseback while chewing on oats from the barn as a young buck, that’s just the way my darling parents raised me. Two very different, very distinct humans created a spicy-rimmed cocktail called Sarah Silvas and this persona is exactly what Rizzo’s is all about.

Once I put down the need to do, or be, anything else than me, I was able to open up space for Rizzo’s, which is really just an incarnation, an avatar, of my most real self.

So, Rizzo’s is a thoughtfully hand-selected online and traveling pop-up shop connecting badass babes with relished and rare vintage clothing, jewelry, accessories, boots, and home goods. The slow fashion ethos is inspired by the iconic brands and edgy styles that define classic Americana; think Rocky Mountain meets Rock ‘n Roll.

But here’s the thing, and maybe the thing that sets Rizzo’s apart is yeah… it’s a shop, sure. But what REALLY is Rizzo’s? It’s the hotter-than-a-pepper-patch community, and THAT is what I live for. In a world that is becoming more and more virtual, how do we still create and maintain relationships? How do we see babes for their quirky awesome selves and celebrate one another? I believe there’s a way and Rizzo’s is a collective of belonging on a mission to do just that.

This is why I talk about Rizzo’s as a collective persona. Rizzo is you, Rizzo is me, Rizzo is WE.

Everyone’s got a little bit of Rizzo (or some of us, a lot). Somewhere within the mumbo jumbo of nature and nurture, you’ve brewed up your own alchemical potential to be a badass. Rizzo, as an archetype or personality, is all about lassoing that tough cookie version of you and wrangling it to the forefront so that you can ride off into the painted sky sunset as the most bonafide YOU.

This is why I talk about Rizzo’s as not just a pit stop (or shop). Some come for the garb, but most stay for the community. It’s one thing to breeze through any given place, glance around, maybe throw down some bucks, and walk away with a dime-a-dozen dust collector. It’s an entirely different story when you search high-and-low for a place and face that really ‘gets you;’ gets your unconventional approaches, gets your rebel outlook; gets your iconoclastic stance on self-expression, gets your rebuffing of looking, talking, thinking like anyone else than yourself.

And as the almighty one above is rumored to say, when two or more are gathered… well then sparks fucking fly. And that’s exactly what this community is all about, a little less groupthink/basic/fast fashion, a lot more babes who’ve got each other’s back, badasses who are lifting one another up, relished & rare honeys that believe from the bottom of our souls that together we rise and together we revolutionize – and we are gonna look mighty damn fine doin’ it.

In practice, this looks like true connection and relationship building with the other folks doing this work. Really supporting others cause there’s room for us all and at the end of the day, humans just want to belong. This looks like engaging in real online conversations with others because face-to-face conversations are ceasing in a digital world. This looks like checking in with clients or folks interested in the community but purchasing isn’t accessible right now – these folks are just as imperative to our collective. This looks like creating in-person gatherings and engaging in attentive dialogue around real topics in people’s lives. This looks like showing up for others on the best and worst days of their lives.

Yes, I f*cking love vintage clothes and I have from day one. Yes, I love being an entrepreneur and it’s in my blood. But what am I really doing here, what am I really proud of, underneath it all? I’m building a community of belonging. That’s my mission. And Rizzo’s is a mission-driven initiative, so here we are, together, doing the damn thing, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
First and foremost, I didn’t have a whole lot of ‘extras’ growing up. My parents worked hard to provide us the best life possible and I had a lovely childhood. Unlike many of my cohorts, I was responsible for acquiring the things, adventures, etc… I did want beyond household basics. I didn’t get a car. I saved my miserly tips from waitressing in a sit-down Pizza Hut for a Taur-ass that housed negligible breaks. I fundraised to attend camp. Dress for the school dance? Those same tips from my car fund had to be broken into for that. College? I paid for. I moved out at 17 after my dad died, mid-senior year of high school, and began tasting “adulting” while most pals were prioritizing partying.

In comparison with my primarily middle-to-upper class, white, Broomfield, CO peers, my situation was not the case for many. And at the time, I was definitely irked about it, I struggled, no doubt. Now, though… I’m damn resilient and resourceful because of it. I will always find a way to make damn sure I’m gonna be ok. That fight in my belly is the cornerstone of being an entrepreneur. If I didn’t have that grit, if I wasn’t willing to go out on a limb to chase a dream cause mom’s not gonna hand it to me, well then I very likely wouldn’t be exactly where I’m at today – and hot damn do I love where I’m at today!

Speaking specifically about childhood experiences that have shaped Rizzo’s, I’d love for you to check out my post, Behind the Curtain, on my website to catch a glimpse of the creative long-haul I’ve been on. It’s a juicy one!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ShopRizzos.com
• Email: Sarah@ShopRizzos.com
• Instagram: @ShopRizzos
• Facebook: @ShopRizzos

Image Credit:
Solo image of my kicking: Alisha Light, All other images: Tabor Bonde

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