Since she was a teenager, Lori dreamed of owning a store. After working in retail and corporate retail for many years, she was inspired to open her boutique. Getting started was “really scary,” she said. She enlisted help from SCORE and was matched with her mentor, Steve, who guided her through finding a location and defining her store’s style, product selection and pricing. She named her boutique Vera Doyle, inspired by a 1970s photo of her mom, “to represent women, especially women of color, like my mom.” Learn more about how experienced volunteer mentors here in Vermont drive SCORE's mission of shaping small business success: → Request a mentor: score.org/vermont/local-mentors → Attend a business workshop: score.org/vermont/local-workshops 📷 SCORE client Lori Thomson, owner of Vera Doyle. #SmallBusinessSaturday #NationalEntrepreneurshipMonth #FemaleEntrepreneur #BlackEntrepreneur #WomanOwnedBusiness #BlackOwnedBusiness