Becky

Meet the store manager, Becky Gourley! Along with the store owner Bryan, she makes working at 5 Pound a lot of fun! Read our interview to learn more about her. a

1. You are such a creative gal and we love the graphics work you do for the store! When do you think that you realized your love for design?

• Thank you so much! I have always been creative in some aspect throughout life, and in high school when I took a graphic design class for the first time; I discovered something I was pretty good at, that I had no idea existed. I knew after that class that I wanted to pursue design in college. Funny story - when I was about 6 years old, I vividly remember seeing my dad's handwriting for the first time and being so horrified at how messy the letters were, and how he wrote in all caps! So naturally as kids do, I brought him my handwriting book, placed it on his desk, and said he really needed to practice his letters. (He never did, his handwriting is still terrible). I guess you could call that the beginning of my love for type . But anyway, being able to use my love and passion for design & typography at 5 Pound, makes me that much more passionate about my job! 

2. It is a well-known fact that you are an organized and poised manager! How did you learn to lead others in a graceful and positive way?

• My parents are both natural leaders and have raised my siblings and I to be leaders throughout life. They always instilled in me to be a positive influence to those around me, and to step up and do the hard thing with a good attitude, no matter how I’m feeling. Also, in high school I was involved with three sports, various clubs, & leadership, so juggling all of those responsibilities for 4 years trained me to get organized—otherwise I’d have a meltdown. So pretty much all of those factors are what help me daily with my management position at 5 Pound Apparel. 

3. You have worked at the store for a couple of years now! What motivates you to keep growing in your position here?

• I love 5 Pound and everything we do to make a difference. I am so consistently grateful for my job and completely baffled at times that I get to work at such an awesome place, that I try my best to work efficiently and grow with the business. The sole motivating factor that drives me to work hard each day, is the fact that I truly care about the store’s success. I want to see the business grow, and if I can help in anyway then I will continue to pour my heart and soul into my job. 

4. What are some of your favorite lines that we carry?

• My favorite brands: Sseko Designs, because everything they produce is absolutely beautiful and the work they are doing with women in Africa is so inspiring! I also love Ugmonk, because the designs are purposefully designed to be simplistic, which leads the viewer to interpret it his/her own way. (And also because I met Jeff, who runs and designs for Ugmonk, and I was totally star struck—it was so cool!) And of course, Missouri Is Awesome, because of how amazingly soft our shirts are and because they’re just plain awesome. 

5. How would you describe your style?

• I would say my style is simple yet classic. I try to maintain a natural but put together look on a daily basis. I am obsessed with neutrals, a good sweater and an awesome pair of boots. I try to keep accessorizing to a minimum, but I’ve always secretly wished I could pull off a bunch of rings and bracelets, but bracelets just look weird on me! But I do rely on 5 Pound for the bulk of my wardrobe.

6. Do you have any big long-term goals?

• I think so! Haha, I would say I'm more of a dreamer than a goal-planner. If I had to nail it down though, I'd say I would love to have a really cool UX design gig somewhere, while still being involved with 5 Pound in some form! That'd be a dream. But my main goal right now is to graduate college and get through my senior thesis!