annieBIDDISON personal statement: When I moved to Chicago everyone gave me a hard time about how much I talked about Kansas. What can I say, I LOVE Kansas! It only took me about 23 years to realize that, right about the time I moved away for the first time ever. It's true what they say about the Mid West, we are some seriously tough folks. Our state motto is "Ad astra per aspera" meaning "Through hardships to the stars"! !
Things were happening for me, now I just needed a major. The only thing that really stuck out to me was Textile Design, so I worked my way into the Art and Design School at KU and fell hard for weaving and screen printing. I focused on large scale installation pieces and tons of screen printing. I loved it, we were a little family of weavers and dyers with hands that were always stained rad colors . After 5 years of bliss, dancing at night, working in the day, and printing every second in between I was ready, ready for the bright lights of Chi Town.!
A few things….! -I love ballet! Danced for 17 years and just started back up at Boston Ballet.! -I got pretty into puppeteering at a young age. ! -I'm getting married in three weeks and turns out... weddings are stressful.! -I have two dogs, Daisy and Charlie, 10 and 3 years old. Charlie has an attitude problem but he's working on it.! -I love cheese, like a lot. If I wasn't with Urban I'd be a cheese maker. ! -I graduated with a degree in Textile Design at KU and can do some serious damage on a loom.! -I LOVE college basketball, ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!
I spent my high school years hanging out in the gritty and not so developed art district, Crossroads, soaking up home grown fashion shows and First Fridays, ever heard of Peggy Noland!? I did everything I could to completely saturate my school schedule with art and design and even managed to go to the Fashion and Design vocational school for half of my days. I was having a blast and totally forgot to apply to all those design schools I was dreaming of going to. KU would have to do. Little did I know Lawrence Kansas is one of the most amazing little towns out there. I applied to Urban, which had been my plan going on 5 years (more on that later). After some serious harassment and about 20 calls later I was interviewed by the Housewares Manager and Merchandiser, Shelly Horst, and I got it!!!!
Chicago is were it all started, just not right after I graduated. When I was 13 my friend invited me to go to Chicago for the weekend. It would be my first time in Chicago And on a plane. We walked up and down Michigan Ave. and then took a turn on Rush St. We entered Urban Outfitters and my mind was blown. I left that day with a Triple 5 Soul hoodie and a plan for the future, all under $19.99. I WOULD work here when I grew up. !
I grew up, and have worked for Urban 9 years and counting. The Lawrence Kansas store is where I spent 5 of those years and made it to the ranks of Women's TL, the whole time knowing I wanted to do what Shelly did. After college graduation Rob Paverud put his trust in me and offered me the Women's Manager position at Oakbrook Mall. My fiancé and I packed up our bags and dog (only one at that time) and made the big move. From there I worked my way up to Assistant Merchandiser at Rush St, FULL The amount I learned from the 3 stores in Chicago CIRCLE!! ! is immense. I became a strong manager through the mentorship of Rob and strong merchandiser with the guidance from Colleen Speer. Lawrence gave me the desire to grow with the company and Chicago gave me the tools to do so. Then came Boston. My fiancé and I were loving Chicago and livin' it up when I got a call from Cassie Burniston, another mentor of mine. She was wondering if I would be interested in a job in Boston. This would be my time to take on my own store and kick my merchandising career in full gear. It was a hard decision to move to Boston but one that has paid back ten fold. I have now had the opportunity to be the SMM of three stores in Boston, and I am now at one of my favorite in the company, Harvard Square. I also have the privilege of being a Mentor. With Lynnette French as the DM, it isn't too far off from my Midwest roots. I am so honored and excited to be at one of the oldest stores in the company and excited for all the opportunities it has to offer. !
I was quietly filling the denim bar when someone approached and asked me if I mind getting dirty, they needed someone to paint a 4x4...I looked behind me in disbelief, they were talking to me! Of course I don't mind getting dirty and bring on the 4x4. As far as I was concerned this was my time to shine and that 4x4 never looked so good! As small as that opportunity seems, it put some serious wind under my wings, and I never looked back.!
My goal is to become a DMM, and ultimately my intent for The Academy is become a leader within the district and be the go to person for People Development. I am very interested in creating structures that help inspire and get everyone from associates to management teams excited and involved in all the awesome stuff the visual side has to offer. A great example of this is the macramé installation Eddy Sorensen and Kate Foss rolled out for Cambridge. As part of their Summit the Team Leads of the BM district helped macramé a large scale installation that would hang above the landing in the Cambridge location. Not only did it get Women's Proud Of, but more importantly it got a large group of kids super pumped and invested in the visuals of the store. When someone gets to see the visual process and actually be involved, there is a sense of community and accessibility. Basically, I want to give everyone a 4x4 to paint (don't worry, no 4x4s will be harmed in the process!).
Since becoming a Mentor, my Mentee, Kaleigh Foley, and I have been focusing on People Development and giving her team the opportunity to flex their visual muscles. I couldn't be more excited about the results. Her HW TL is now my VTL and he would never be in that position if she hadn't given him some time and experience to develop his skills and spark his interest. I would like to become the point person in the district to provide guidance and organize opportunities to beef up our employee involvement and fill up our bench. The most exciting thing is that as our company grows so do the opportunities. It is no longer Merch or Management, the options are endless, and I want to let everyone know their options. After working at 8 different stores in 9 fun filled years it is obvious, People are what elevate this company, and I would like to use The Academy as my jumping off point in developing all of the talent in our district and one day on an even larger scale. !