Why I Love Broker Leather: Guest Blog Post by Samantha Haskovec

Hey Herd!  It's Brianne.  It's been over a month since I posted a blog post.  I have all of the excuses tucked in my back pocket.  It's summer- I love the sunshine and my store office doesn't have a window.  So instead of writing and being "social", I've been gardening, landscaping, swimming, all.of.the.things. 

And also, can we just say I've been too close to small business burn-out for my liking?  I've been uninspired and emotionally OVER the constant politics of social media.  For a little too long, I've wanted to isolate myself to my yard and my children and have nothing to do with the general public. 

But here I am, back in MY safe place of writing after ya'll motivated me. I asked for a little bit of help in my Broker Leather Herd Top Hands [VIP Group] on Facebook earlier this week.  This group has quickly become my favorite place to be.  [So if you aren't already there, you really should be, please join!] 

Our Top Hands VIP Group is the most uncensored, opinionated, and raw place the Broker Leather herd shows up [compared to other social media channels].  I feel badly for those of you who have not had the opportunity to partake in the deep conversations we have in-store. So please join and let's have those chats here!

To get to my point - so many of you Top Hands gave suggestions on what topics you'd be interested in reading about.  The first recommendation we put into action was this one, "Have a herd member [in this case, a Broker Leather employee] write a blog post on why they love BL and some of their favorite products!"

Well, if you know our part time employee, Samantha Haskovec, you know she's a go-getter.  After working as a Child Protection Worker all day, she quickly took to pen and paper to write the solicited guest blog post, below.  Sam's willingness to work nearly every weekend, "ride for our brand" and vouch for it here, there, and everywhere, has brought me to tears today. 

It's safe to say that after reading Sam's heartening story, that I am encouraged to get back to writing and building relationships with more of you.

 Why I Love Broker Leather And My Favorite Products

by Samantha Haskovec

This topic is very personal to me, and I want to tell y'all about how much Broker Leather means to me.

To start this out, I want to take you back to my middle school days. I wasn't skinny or pretty like the other girls in my class, and one peer thought it was funny to make sure I knew this on a daily basis and one day, while on the playground, called me "Sumo." That day still affects me and the way I think about myself. I struggle with having positive things to say about myself or having any confidence. Going through the remainder of my school years, I compared how I looked to other girls and always thought, "Why can't I be more like her?"

Now I know what you are going to say…don't let someone hold that much power over me and know my worth. I wish that I could shut that day out of my head and not let it affect me but every time I go shopping, that comment on that day comes rushing back. So going through life, I have very low confidence and self-esteem. When I moved back to my hometown area a few years ago, I was nervous about being around people who knew me in school, as I felt I was back in those days.

So now comes a day when I walked into a small boutique store, Broker Leather, and I was greeted with smiling faces and the friendliest people I have met that have become my friends! I looked through all the boots and dreamed of owning a pair or more. I can't tell you the first thing I bought, but since that first purchase, I haven't stopped!

I bought boots, purses, wild rags, jewelry, sunglasses, and clothing items. I will tell you I was nervous initially about the clothing items as again that comment from years ago came rushing back, but I shoved it down and got a sunflower shirt that I absolutely love and have to this day!

I started to notice that when I would wear the things I bought from Broker Leather, I got compliments from people I knew and strangers, which made me feel better about myself and get more confident in how I looked and, should I say…beautiful. I started to walk more confidently when going to places or out with friends. Most of my wardrobe is Broker Leather starting with errands to work to going out on the town.

Brianne once asked me during a conversation that she sometimes questions if she is doing enough, and I told her how Broker Leather has made me feel about myself and how I think about how I look. I told her that I feel good about myself when I look good. I don't believe Brianne knows how much Broker Leather has helped me acknowledge that I am beautiful and I don't need to compare myself to other women now. I owe a lot to Brianne, starting with her friendship, to making me part of the herd, and, most importantly, to having Broker Leather give me back my self-worth.

Broker Leather is more than the products. The store gives women confidence in themselves and makes them feel beautiful.

To try and narrow down my favorite products is probably impossible. If I put everything in one room I bought, it would fill up a whole bedroom!  But if you are going to make me choose, a few all-time favorites are my purses and Ariat Dixon boots. I also have a wide assortment of jewelry and wild rags…you can never have enough of those!

I hope my story gives you a small glimpse of what Broker Leather is meant to do for all of the women out there, no matter where you come from or want to be!!

XOXO
Samantha

A final note from Brianne: Please take the next two minutes to give a genuine compliment to somebody unexpecting of it. Tell the cashier at Kwik Star that you appreciate her friendliness, send a quick email to your child's teacher to tell them thanks again, or Venmo a friend you haven't seen in awhile a few bucks for a cup of coffee simply because you miss them.  You never know how impactful you can be until you try.

 To shop the NEWEST ARRIVALS at Broker Leather, click here.