Meet Your Neighbor: Marcus Espinoza

The initial launch of our South Congress location was brief, due to COVID-19, but now the store and restaurant concept, Prim and Proper, have hit the ground running. You can browse beauty and wellness brands, like Aesop and Disco, and experience a Tonal demo in-store. Our Austin store has a lot to offer, but our favorite thing about this location (and all of the others) is the team members.

One of the Storytellers from South Congress, and recently featured in this styling editorial, is Marcus Espinoza. With six years of experience in retail under their belt, Marcus should be one of your go-to Storytellers if you need an outfit thoughtfully put together or a new brand recommendation to spice up your closet. And if you’re struck with a case of wanderlust in the middle of quarantine, Marcus can give you plenty of future travel ideas, being a vagabond at heart.

Read on to discover Marcus’ personal style and some learnings they’ve gained while working in retail.

How would your friends describe you?

Very outgoing, very energetic, and a lot of fun. All of my friends know me as a “wanderer” and that’s definitely become a big part of who I am: an ever-moving being.

What would you describe as your personal style?

It’s always changing. Right now, it’s very New York cool girl minimalist one day and the next I’ll feel inspired by the free spirit of the 70’s. It’s kind of a mixture of the two that I go between and sometimes they collide.

Also, I’ve been going through all of my clothes during quarantine and rebuilding a new wardrobe that’s slowly coming together. I find a lot of my new pieces by trading with my friends, since we all have very similar styles. It’s like Sisterhood of the Traveling Clothes.

Marcus’ Picks

burn no.1 by Maude

"This Maude candle adds a romantic touch and smells great!"

Knowing that you’ve lived in so many different cities, while working in retail, I’m interested in what you’ve learned in the six years you’ve been involved in this industry.

I would say the biggest thing I’ve learned is really understanding a client’s needs and not just giving them what you think they need. The experience should be about leaning into what they are looking for and not making the decision for them.

Back when I was training other stylists, often they would give clients items that spoke to what that stylist liked and not the client’s preference. You want the client to wear the piece, not the piece to wear your client. Clothes are meant to enhance who the client is and not just be a part of who the client is.

Marcus’ Picks

Brief by Entireworld

"Love these comfy lounge undies."

What do you do to put customers at ease to make styling a collaborative process?

I think having real, human conversation before you get into wardrobing or styling makes them open up. It’s about really understanding who your client is, how their lives are lived, and their personal likes and dislikes in general, not even about clothing or accessories. Once you understand who they are at the core, it’s a lot easier to figure out what they are going to be comfortable in. 

Marcus’ Picks

Mini Mezi Boxed Hoops by Soko

"My new favorite everyday earrings."

Some of our themes as a company are Accountability, Experimentation, and Heart, which of these do you resonate with the most? 

I think that Heart really speaks to me. I’m a very passionate person about everything I do and I feel like Neighborhood Goods has that same passion. And that’s what I really connected with when I first heard about Neighborhood Goods.

What songs do you listen to when the pandemic is getting you down?

Really Don’t Like You by Tove Lo (for the dancey feels)

Peace by Taylor Swift (for the introspective feels)

Stop by South Congress to meet Marcus in real life or chat with a Storyteller online using the messaging app on the bottom right of our website. Want to read more about your NG neighbors? Here are links to our other features on Val (from Legacy West) and Shay (from Chelsea Market).