IN Chartiers Valley Summer 2016 | Page 43

Photo by Kathy Rudolph “My first customer was an 80-year-old woman and the second was a 12-year-old girl.” An InStyle magazine article about Fashion Trucks piqued her interest. “I was consumed by the idea and couldn’t wait to buy a truck and order clothes,” says Ging. She affectionately refers to her truck as “Cookie.” “I bought Cookie on Easter in Ellwood City,” says Ging. “I had heart palpitations because I had never paid that amount of cash for anything.” A few coincidental events that day led her to Cookie’s name. “There were two trucks, but the one had a number 24 on it,” laughs Ging, a Pittsburgh sports fan. “At that time, the number was Pittsburgh Penguins hockey player Matt Cooke’s. He was a defensive player not known for scoring, and he scored that very day at a game! Then, the woman who notarized it was named Cookie. It was a sign from God!” The truck needed some serious TLC before it could open for business. “It was a big, green, rusty Chevy box truck when I bought it and I almost had to wear a mask on the inside because it was so bad,” says Ging. After researching other fashion trucks and designing it to suit her needs, she had it renovated to contain a fitting room, shelving and racks. She also practiced driving in a church parking lot and learned how to change a spark plug or two before venturing out. Her idea of offering clothes for women onthe-go came from her former job. “I traveled a lot and liked clothes that I could wear with flip-flops during the day, throw jewelry and heels on with at night, or roll up in a suitcase,” Ging recalls. Today, Style Truck continues to successfully provide women of all ages a convenient way to shop for updated fashions. “I don’t have a demographic of who I sell to,” says Ging. “My first customer was an 80-yearold woman and the second was a 12-year-old girl.” But whatever the age, Ging wants women to feel good about themselves in the clothes that she sells. “It’s funny — when you are in the truck, it’s an intimate, small space and you really get to know the customers,” she notes. “These women can be so hard on themselves, which is very sad. They ‘have to wear sleeves,’ or ‘can’t wear prints.’ “Women just need to find clothing that makes them feel comfortable; something that makes them look and feel good and go with it. They shouldn’t restrict themselves.” n For more information, visit mystyletruck.com. Chartiers Valley | Summer 2016 | icmags.com 41