A profile of fashion PowHERhouse, Rachel Kapsalis, her amazing boutique, Vetrina, in the heart of downtown Vancouver, and her mission to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro for an amazing cause.
From the moment I walked into Rachel’s West Georgia shop (525 West Georgia Street), up the stairs and was greeted by her warm and genuine, “Bella!”, I felt completely welcome and at ease. Vetrina has the comfort of a living room with the class you’d expect from a high-end boutique. Women come to laugh, listen, share, bond, play dress-up and enjoy one of Rachel’s cappuccino’s. It is service with a smile – a huge one – yet you never feel ‘sold’ to. Such an amazing quality!
As we sat down to commence our interview, Rachel allowed me to choose from two signature chairs in the middle of the store – one purple, one red. I chose the red one, and smiled to myself as I got comfy. It made me happy to think about all of the stories these chairs have heard, the laughs, the tears over the past 16 years.
On Dreams…
I asked Rachel to describe her dream for her business, and she replied that she is living it – in fact, it has been surpassed. She has been able to raise her daughter and have her family close to her while building her business. It wasn’t an ‘even/or’ decision that she had to make between becoming a mother or a successful entrepreneur… it was a BOTH. And now, years later with a lovely daughter who is now 13, Rachel is able to continue doing what she loves – meeting amazing women, building quality relationships built on trust and playing dress-up’ with quality hand-picked fashions that she imports from Italy. But perhaps most importantly, helping her clients to see themselves and their individual beauty free of self-imposed limiting blocks and beliefs.
On Success…
“Success is what fuels you! When your purpose provides perspective and an opportunity to have fun while touching the lives of others and sharing my gifts, that is success. I didn’t choose Vetrina. It chose me. I wanted to make a difference – to see something from beginning to end.”
On Creativity…
“When I am fully present, I am my most creative. I utilize all of my senses and my curiosity, to explore, learn and grow.”
On Teaching and Role-Modeling…
“My daughter, Arianna, is now 13. I am teaching her lessons of being of service to others, being truthful, honest and kind. She is learning that not everyone is the same, and we need to celebrate our individuality and uniqueness.
She is also teaching me very much.”
On Adventure and Giving Back…
“For as long as I can remember one of my dreams has been to climb Kilimanjaro. In 2005, a friend told me about the Summits of Hope organization and that he was going to join them for a climb. At that time, both my child and my business were quite young. Late last year another friend asked me “What is your passion”? That was the trigger that moved my dream to the forefront and made me reach out to Summits of Hope.
The mountain alone could not move me…but the children can! Through this adventure, I will be fundraising for the BC Children’s Hospital to help fund the development of effective therapies for treating pediatric brain tumours, purchasing the latest electronic parallel bars that are used for teaching children to walk again following surgery, cancer treatment or broken bones, purchasing “the mountain of toys” the Summits’ team brings the children before each climb, or carrying the MOST number of flags, each with your message of hope, as I climb the tallest freestanding mountain to the ‘Roof of Africa’ !”
You can read more about Rachel’s adventure or donate here.
We will follow Rachel’s journey as she prepares for her trek, continues to shine with her business and the generous and authentic way in which she works with her clients, and role-models to her growing daughter what true strength, powHER and success are all about.
