Alexa Terry, founder of "I found this dress"

In an era when dozens of new blogs are created each and everyday it can be a struggle to turn a blogging pastime into something tangible, but for Elon University alumna Alex Terry her unwavering passion and determination did just that.

During the summer of 2008, Terry interned with Elsewhere Artist Collaborative, a living art museum in downtown Greensboro. With a strong existing interest in fashion, “I started involving myself in understanding the deeper implications of clothing, particularly clothing that seemed a little off-the-wall and unordinary,” Terry said. From here, Terry decided to track her journey of self-discovery by starting a WordPress blog, supplemented with photos.

The result – “I found this dress.”

In addition to “I found this dress,” Terry used the blog as a platform for her “Dare You to Wear” challenge. “Dare You to Wear” was “a place where my friends and family and even people I had never met before could dare me to wear articles of clothing that seemed so ridiculous that certainly no one would ever be caught wearing them in public,” Terry explained. “It was a fun, creative opportunity for me… but the whole purpose was to ask people to reconsider, reconsider what they knew to be unordinary.”

According to Terry, clothes should not define the person underneath but should supplement the personality.

After graduating in May 2010, Terry was having difficulty find a job and sat down with a career counselor to discuss her next move. The career counselor suggested doing something part time to stay engaged while searching for a more permanent option. “I started considering my options,” Terry said, “when I realize that the insane, handmade, over-the-top vintage clothes I’ve been collecting and harboring for years… could be the foundation of a new endeavor.”

With this realization, Terry set out to establish a physical representation of “I found this dress.”

“I had to sit down and talk myself through it, because the clothes I had been saving were for a future business endeavor, but it simply wasn’t smart to hold on to them,” Terry said. Remembering a nearby antique mall with open booths Terry realized she had an opportunity to market herself and her business now.

Terry’s initial application for a spot in the mall landed her a spot on a waiting list 30 names deep, but after reviewing some photos of her merchandise and the contents of her booth, she was offered a spot a few weeks later. “I had a little less than a month to pull all my items together and when I first moved in, there was hardly anything to it,” she said.

Now a few months into the endeavor, Terry is still learning. “I’m still struggling to make a profit each month,” she said, “but I’m learning so much in the process, and I’m developing a sense of confidence in my ability to make things happen for myself.”

Like every new business owner, Terry is aware of her struggles. Currently, her biggest enemy is marketing. With a Facebook page and business cards available in the booth, Terry knows her best bet, currently, is word of mouth. “The main cliental that comes through the mall isn’t exactly the cliental interested in my clothing, but it’s their grandchildren or their niece or family friend or neighbor that might be.”

As for what lies ahead, Terry’s ultimate goal is to one day open her own shop aptly named “I found this dress,” with merchandise ranging from vintage clothes, to pieces by indie designers who are inspired by vintage clothing, to maybe even a line of her own.

“I know that opening my own business will be hard and I know it will take a lot of experience before I feel like I’m ready to go for it but I have a lot of support, which is great,” Terry said, “and I’ll always remember something my mother told me when I began working on my booth… she said, ‘you have nothing to be nervous about, this is the most natural thing you will ever do.’”