Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / July 3, 1986, edition 1 / Page 18
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July 3, 1986 Page B4 McDousal c By JOHN HINTON Chronicle Staff Writer Victoria McDougal and her three partners had a difficult time getting a loan to open Petals, a women's boutique in downtown Winston-Salem. 4 4We went to every bank in Winston-Salem,'^- said Mrs. McDougal, 30, co-owner and manager of the store. 44None of the banks wanted to take a chance on a new business. We "I had been working for othi you really have to like who won't make any money unle had good credit, but minimum collateral." Mrs. McDougal, her twin sisters, Jeanette and Jean Bias, and Foster Home obtained personal bank loans to open the store. Her sisters are flight attendants for Piedmont Airlines-Aviation Inc. "When they are not flying, they are working here," Mrs. McDougal said. The partnership secured a loan from the city as part of its downtown revitalization, V|f J i , Diggsbecom V By JOHN HINTON Chronicle Staff Writer Brenda B. Diggs rose through the raftk4*fet Wachovia Bank and Trust _Co* io become vice oresi dent and manager of its main office in Winston-Salem. "I wanted to grow as the bank grew," Mrs. Diggs said. "This is a challenging and interesting job. No two days are alike." Mrs. Diggs, 38, began working at the bank in 1968 as a teller, she said in an interview from her downtown office last week. "I have believed in myself as an individual," Mrs. Diggs said. "You have to believe in yourself and clearly know your abilities i. and limitations." A native of Winston-Salem, Mrs. Diggs graduated from i Paisley High School. She earned j! a degree in secretarial science v! from Winston Business College. Mrs. Diggs graduated cum laude from High Point College in May 1986. In 1971, she became the vuoiuuiH act vivc icprcscmauvc ai i the bank. After three years, Mrs. Diggs became a personal banker at the branch at the Thruway ., Shopping Center, "I have never sacrificed my family life to achieve my personal goals,'* said Mrs. Diggs, who is married to James H. Diggs, a manager of the credit union offices at the Whitaker Park branch of RJR Nabisco Inc. "I never could have done it without him," Mrs. Diggs said } about her husband. "My husband has never had any problems with my success." The Diggses have two children. James Diggs Jr., 20, and Jennifer Diggs, 15. After five years as a personal banker, Mrs. Diggs became manager of the bank's Hanes Mall and Reynolda offices in 1979. Two years later, she was a retail marketing officer. In her present job, Mrs. Diggs supervises a staff of 30 people, including personal bankers, secretaries and tellers. She is responsible for loans and i; deposits at the bank. it. ! Being a black woman has never been an obstacle to Mrs. Diggs, she said. "I am an unusual , woman," Mrs. Diggs said. "My credibility was established long I . . vV- v . *v% m5S >wns thriving 1 McDougal said. The boutique was opened in Winston Square on Fourth Street in November 1985, she said. "I didn't have the finances of my own," Mrs. McDougal said. "My family decided to back us, and we organized the business." A native of Winston-Salem, Mrs. McDougal graduated from North Forsyth High School. She later took classes in fashion merchandising and interior design at the Art Institute in Atlanta. ?r people for so long. In retail, t you are doing, because you ss you own the store." ? Victoria McDougal ** The store has one full-time employee and one part-time worker, Mrs. McDougal said. "It is a lot of work," she said. "Everyone has to work in order for this store to make it." Mrs. McDougal says that 1 1 - dusiiicss is gooa. j ne store is pretty much running itself,*' she said. 44We have built up our clientele." When the store first opened, Mrs. McDougal said she had to pay cash for merchandise when it arrived at the boutique. "We ies rice preside n Brenda Diggs has worked for 1? Trust Co. (photo by James Parke before I got to this job." Mrs. Diggs says that she has a professional relationship with the male executives at the bank. i ncic is icapcci tuuuiig us inai runs both ways," she said.4They look at me as an individual first, not as a female." Most customers want services such as savings accounts, checking accounts and credit cards,Mrs. Diggs said. "Most customers want personal service from us, and we try to give them that." '? Many small businesses, such as retail stores, specialty shops and restaurants, are also customers of 11 11 'WJ mm * ENTEI women's bou now have established credit with our manufacturers,*' she said. Most of the customers are businesswomen who work downtown, Mrs. McDougal said. "We haye a good following," she said. V Mrs. McDougal was aTetctil manager for eight years for two other clothing stores in Winston. Salem and Atlanta. "I had been working for other people for so long," she said "In retail, you really have to like what you are doing, because you won't make any money unless you own the store." The fact that she is black has not . adversely affected her business, Mrs. McDougal said. "'A lot of people don't care about who owns the store," she said. "We are here to do business." Choosing a name for the store also became a dilemma, Mrs. McDougal said. "We had to reoictpr th<? nnm#? r\f th? " V* fcliv JIV/1 V) she said.J "We tried to use everybody's name, but they were taken by other businesses." "We came up with 'Petals' because we wanted a name that was catchy and airy," Mrfc. McDougal said. There are flower arrangements throughout the store. mt, manager H x HPjpfl |f ' 4 y A 4Bj v" m I years at Wachovia Bank and >r). the bank, Mrs. Diggs said. The bank's customers represent a striving economy in Forsyth County, Mrs. Diggs says. "We always like it when the economy is good," she said. The banking industry offers many opportunities for blacks and other minorities, Mrs. Diggs says. "It is regarded as a service industry that will offer challenging jobs throughout the early 19908," she said. Mrs. Diggs is a member of the board of directors of the Salvation Army Girls' Club and the United Way of Forsyth County. ~~* * m ? ~ r* * ^ ? _> I - ? ^ . . au 'PRISE itique in down I ? K*J v HJ |H | IV J ^Kf^r B^L ' *--"i^w Victoria McDougal says she wa other clothing stores (photo by In April the store moved-from its location in the Mercantile riaza across tne street to 418 W. Fourth St., Mrs. McDougal said. The store is ' open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 m. Ti lunch and dinner hours are the busiest times in the store, Mrs. McDougal said. "Our prices are not cheap, but they are reasonable,M Mrs. McDougal said. "We do have some expensive pieces.*' The store carries brand names such as Dana Hogan, MBR, I.B. Diffusion and Omanti. The V. ?^ ' Jfc : j Tim Watson '87 OMNI AMERI *5999 The Lowest Priced 4S&| American-Built Car NOW IN STOCK BRAND NEW 9M A ~2.2-1lter enQlne, front-wheel d transmission, ail-vinyi seats. After Rebate to Ue s-a *6691? i.i% ami Wweeelee aveaeaie ?r * BRAND NKW '86 60 Automatic, PS, PB, air, vinyl land engine, stereo caasette. Stock #3312. $9999 X /a Aft*r Rmbmtm to Us National and Iocs town Winsto nted to own a women's boutlqui Art Blue). boutique sells suits, silk blouses, sweater jackets, leather pants, leather gloves and purses. The store has sizes 2 to 16. "No woman should look bad," Mrs. McDougal said in an article in the Winston-Salem Journal last year. "I really believe with the right clothes and makeup, anyone can look nice -not glamorous, but nice." The store sells men's silk ties and snake belts, Mrs. McDougal said. "The businessmen really like them," she said. The store offers a fingernail service and free gift wrapping BRAND I Hatchback, a m loaded ind< ICA Stock #233 Stoeft #1814 AMI mil RIIS BRAND NKW rtv?, 5-sp??<j D-SO HCt JT $JS Wmw9 0 4 DOOR MAMA Ml IU roof, 2.5 E.F.I. BRAND Nl SE Mrin, 2.2 Ittar trans., AIR, roof ra s* <9391 After Robati IMAMPIm rlMMi iiP^r 'ITERS CH? MtKWAY 1 ) . _ _ . ,;' I, state I il business news. I ti-Salem , I Is 1 I m^A:J HICX ^ t jJ^Ww'i. jf^ mP ^}|CJ HI B' v^ v^l' Bs| U ^1 9 after working as a manager at and alterations, Mrs. McDougal said. Most of the store's clothes are bought in New York, Los A ? ^ - 1 ? /\ngcies, san Francisco and, Dallas, McDougal said. "My; sisters fly all over getting the mer chandise," she said. Mrs. McDougal also organizes < fashion shows for local businesses and organizations. "We supply the models and the; . clothes," she said. i Popular styles this year include knits and bright colors, Mrs. ' McDougal said. "Shirts will be ? short and long," she said. ill " , i I ^: .,v ' Sam Harrison IEW '86 LANCER ^ front wheel drive", Jding FACTORY AIR. ?^399 *5. ^ After Rebate to Us incln* AvaHabI* or Rabat* WP 5-speed, 2.0-liter engine. Stock #1090 AVAJUkBLf EW '86 AIMS WAQON J f engine, auto. tele, P/S. Stock w>?w| AvaNaMa ar miei I
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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July 3, 1986, edition 1
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