Vizorre brings family and fashion together

ALBANY — Outside of Vizorre, owner Vickie Roney places a fully-dressed mannequin by the door to let patrons know when the store is open for business. When they walk inside, customers are surrounded by calming music. The family-owned store is lined with racks and shelves filled with fashion, jewelry and apparel.

Roney runs the store with her daughters, Jameka Strawder and Melisha Kegler, and her husband, Eric Roney. Vickie Roney brought more of her family into the store by taking the first letters of some of her relatives’ names and arranging them into the business’s name.

“If you were to ask me what (Vizorre) means, I would say ‘together with family,’” Roney said. “When you think of family, you don’t just think of your immediate family but even the neighborhood. The community makes up a family, so it broadens out to a wide aspect. That’s what I like about that name.”

Roney describes the types of clothing she has available as “business-casual attire” and “work-to-church.” The apparel sizes currently go up to 3X. Roney said she plans to get more clothes in 4X and 5X sizes and include a section in the store for men to buy ties and wallets. She also noted that she could provide special orders for designer brands since she tries not to have many of them in stock.

“I don’t focus on a lot of trendy things,” Roney said. “I focus on whatever you want to wear to express your statement and look nice.”

The business is filled with dresses, skirts and other outfit combinations — some of which Roney made herself, and others she bought and customized. When it comes to clothes, Roney said her interest blossomed at an early age because her mother was a seamstress.

“I’ve been sewing ever since I was 6 or 7 (years old),” Roney said. “Mom would do her work, I would gather all her scraps, and I would make little garments for my baby doll. When she’d leave and go to work, I would hop on her machine and practice on it. I knew, when I first asked her, that if I asked her, she would say no. I’ve been doing it a long time, so it doesn’t take me long to whip up anything.”

Roney’s interest in making jewelry didn’t enter the picture until she started vending at events five years ago.

“With the jewelry thing, I guess I do the opposite of what people normally do,” Roney said. “What people normally do is they buy the garment, and then they try to find a piece of jewelry to match it. Because I sew, I find a piece of jewelry I like, then find a fabric. I do the opposite, and it was always easier for me that way to make a combination (or) to coordinate it. I would say I started putting more focus on it when I was in Atlanta back in 2013.”

As for how Vizorre started, Roney credits her daughters with giving her the idea while helping her promote her occasional vending.

“The girls really enjoyed being a part of presenting what we have to offer,” Roney said. “Their enthusiasm prompted me to take it to another level. … The younger generation, they have such bright ideas, they’re so optimistic. I just love the energy that they have.”

For other entrepreneurs, Roney offers this advice: “Our community is what we make it,” she said. “If there’s anyone out there who wants to be an entrepreneur, or they see that their children have goals, work with them so they can accomplish their goals. We can contribute to our community, build it up and offer more ideas and more things that would enhance our quality of life, as they like to say.”

Vizorre will have its grand opening at 2224 Palmyra Road all day Friday. Customers can call for more information at (770) 855-1418 or visit the store’s website at Vizorre.com.