Newbury TJ Maxx Grand Opening + An Interview with Katherine Schwarzenegger
Happy Thursday! I have 2 exciting updates for you Boston babes this morning! First off, in 1 hour (yes, it's serious countdown time) the doors of the new 45,000 square foot, 3 story TJ Maxx will fly open on Newbury Street - that's 8am this morning people at 360 Newbury Street. As a major Maxxinista, I'm totally stoked. I would share previous blog posts where I've styled items from TJ Maxx, but that would be all of them and take up this entire post. ;) If you're on the fence, just go look at my Snapchat (sarahpcotham) for all the goodies: Valentino and YSL and Jimmy Choo, oh my! I promise it will be worth the early morning cardio!
Second, I had the pleasure of meeting the stunningly gorgeous Katherine Schwarzenegger, daughter of Arnold Shwarzenegger and Marie Shriver, award winning author, and lifestyle blogger- she's fabulous! She even spent 10 minutes chatting with me (see below) - #pinchmemoment. Get ready as she kicks off her Road to Real Tour with TJ Maxx this Friday at their Framingham, MA location. She'll be traveling to 16 different cities, meeting real women, and sharing their stories - so fun! Make sure you're a part of all the excitement!
It was such an honor to interview Katherine, continue reading to find out what inspires her; her favorite TJ Maxx, and more!
S: When did you start your blog?
K: I started my blog 2.5 years ago and it's changed dramatically. One of the things that I've definitely learned through the whole blogging world is that you learn something new every single day because it's constantly changing, which is a really exciting way to be able to work and to look at things because you're constantly learning something new every single day - what works, what doesn't work, how to change things, what you should be doing more of... I feel really lucky to be able to work with women living life on their own terms and partnering with TJ Maxx, who has a very similar message and this has given me the idea to go around and interview women about life on their own terms as well, which is a perfect partnership for me.
S: I love it! So you brought up TJ Maxx - how did the "Road to Real" partnership and collaboration come about?
K: So I heard about their partnership and was automatically obsessed with the whole concept. They want to be able to go around the country to 16 different cities and talk to real people about living life on their own terms and then be able to share all the inspiring stories that we hear along the way and share those with real people. So for me, I was obsessed with the whole idea and felt I really needed to be part of something like that. One thing I'm really passionate about is being able to get inspiration from real women, talk to real women, connect with real women...so I really felt like I needed this...
S: So a no brainer?
K: Exactly!
S: And a way for you to connect with your fan base? Because what's neat for so many lifestyle bloggers is that their fans and connections are everywhere. While mine is pretty focused because it's Boston-based... it must be exciting to get out there and meet the people and your fans?
K: Yes and for me it's really exciting because I get to see so many people that I wouldn't typically meet. For example, being able to go somewhere like Kansas City, a place that I've never been before is going to be really exciting for me and being able to connect with those women and hear their stories is something that I'm really excited about.
S: That's awesome, and I know you find a lot of inspiration from other women, where else do you find inspiration?
K: I get inspired by the people that I meet every single day. I'm constantly asking people so many questions like "what about this? what about that?" - I'm just so curious naturally. I love to be inspired by the different people that I meet along the way and in everyday life. I think sometimes that you think you need to look really far away for inspiration, but the reality is that there's so much inspiration around us. So with the whole TJ Maxx tour being able to talk to real women in TJ Maxx stores and getting inspiration from them, that's where I really get my inspiration, just to talk and connect with real people.
S: You mention real women with TJ Maxx stores...so I worked for the company for 3 years and define myself as an avid Maxxinista...I laugh because there's nothing more real than a woman coming in to dig through the racks...
K: Yeah, what I've realized is that there's a total method to shopping at TJ Maxx.
S: Absolutely!
K: I'm so excited to learn about that because whenever I go into TJ Maxx stores to shop I feel very overwhelmed by everything, but there's so many amazing things here and I love to see how different women navigate the whole place and get everything that they want.
S: And would you consider yourself a Maxxinista?
K: I'm definitely a Maxxinista, I'm a proud Maxxinista. I love being able to find everything, all the steals and deals...and being able to define myself as a Maxxinista is an amazing thing for me.
S: I love it. Do you have a go-to store at home?
K: The TJ Maxx in Beverly Hills is amazing!
S: Aw, I was in Beverly Hills and didn't go...
K: I went on a Sunday recently, which was not a good idea because it was jam packed, but I never leave empty handed. The TJ Maxx in Beverly Hills is unbelievable.
S: I'll have to put it on my To-Do list. :) So more of a long-term question: you're really successful, you're 26, a published author, lifestyle blogger... what's the next 5 years for you?
K: When I look at my 5 year and 10 year goal I hope that I'm doing and continuing to be able to do what I'm passionate about, that I'm happy doing, and that I'm making a difference. For me I've been able to do so many fun and amazing things in my life and be able to do my book and my website, TV things, and web series... for me it's all just so exciting and I'm really passionate about what I do. I'm always trying to make a difference, find really great information, and share that with people.
S: Definitely - you're an inspiration for me, so I wanted to see what we could prepare for in the next 5 years.
K: God only knows what I'll be doing, but it will be fun and it will be exciting and hopefully I'll be happy and passionate about whatever I'm doing.
S: I love how poised you are, you bring such a fun, classy atmosphere... So last question, a more fun one, because I find this question always says a lot about a person - what is your favorite childhood memory?
K: It's funny because whenever anyone asks me that I always go back to the first house I grew up in with my entire family, just playing and hanging out. I'm very very close to my siblings and very close to my parents, so for me any memory that I have where we're all together is my favorite and I'm obsessed with watching home movies, those movies when we're little and as we've grown up, I love being able to look back on those and have such an amazing and great family.
S: Yeah, and you have a big family!
K: A huge family, there's so many of us and it's really fun, really entertaining, never a dull moment.
S: That's awesome. Thank you Katherine for taking the time, it's been a pleasure chatting with you.
Check out all of Katherine's advice, stories, and "lifestyle on your own terms" at KatherineSchwarzenegger.com
