Moss & Rock only opened last November, and yet the contemporary and vintage men’s and women’s clothing boutique has been garnering attention from its bimonthly events. With just one day left to go, Moss & Rock’s biggest event is about to hit Broadway with a fashion show, live music and charity drive. Here’s what the store owner and operator Cat Madrid-Barone has to say about the little store that could.
1. How did you get started with having your own store?
I’ve been working in retail for 15 years and wanted to create my own vision combining new and vintage clothing for men and women. There were definitely lots of steps to getting started, but as cliche as it may sound, it really just starts with a dream. Knowing your strengths is very critical, and that came with the years of retail experience I’ve accumulated working for numerous clothing and cosmetic companies.
2. What’s the meaning behind the name?
Strange as this may sound, I love moss and its vibrant color, so using it as part of the name was my ode to nature. As for rock, I listen to a lot of that genre, and I figured it tied in well with the nature element of the store. I’m also a big Kate Moss fan, so it has a hidden meaning in it for me as well. Together, Moss & Rock is a combination of fashion, art and music, which are all interdependent of one other.
3. Did you go to college, and if so, what was your major?
I went to Orange Coast College for the first two years, then transferred to Cal State Fullerton as a communications major in public relations and advertising. Halfway through, I realized I didn’t have a passion for what I was learning, so I decided to apply for internships to see what I really liked. When I was in junior college, it wasn’t even required for me to intern at the time, but I landed an internship at a Los Angeles radio station and gained experience in the broadcasting industry. All the while, I was working in retail and was really enjoying it and learning a lot along the way. I advise for college students to work and go to school at the same time because it teaches time-management skills. Life is really about juggling multiple projects at once. I think it’s smarter to start earlier and gain the experience, so you can make better career decisions. I even had office jobs to see if that was the right fit for me. Throughout college, I was juggling fulltime school, part-time work and part-time internships all at once. I was very busy, but also learning so much about how the world works. It’s all very exciting to be young and standing at the cusp of adulthood.
4. What experience from college did you find the most beneficial?
I found that my interpersonal communication classes to be the most useful and enjoyable for me. I still remember much of what I’ve learned in those classes and still apply them to my everyday life. Learning effective communication is life-changing. I also advise for people to read “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” It taught me not only how to be a good manager of people, but also to be liked by your employees.
5. What’s your advise to students who are trying to find out what to do career-wise?
Volunteer to work in the industry you’re interested in. Apply for internships and be a good intern. Chances are, they’ll want to hire you once you’ve proven yourself valuable to the company. Ask people most close to you what your good qualities are. They might be able to shed some light into what you’re naturally good at. Also, do what you know will make you happy, not for the security, the amount of money, the image or doing only what people expect you to do. Having the guts to do what you actually enjoy doing is quite challenging. As Steve Jobs said, “Stay foolish, stay hungry.”
For more. info., visit: mossandrock.com.