One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family.
When Petrice Gonzales started at the Exchange 31 years ago, working in the fashion department was a great fit because she had already walked the walk—on the fashion runway.
“I was a fashion model in upstate New York, Germany and Texas, where I also instructed fashion classes for the Anastasia School of Modeling,” Gonzales said.
She used her modeling expertise, fashion skills and creative talents in her new job to help military spouses and retirees create and enjoy fashion.
“When I was hired at the Exchange at Fort Campbell they had a fashion line called Multiples, which was different sizes of stretch materials that you tie up together to make an outfit,” she said.
“It was located in the ladies department next to the dressing room area where they had samples for our customers to try on and make up their own unique style,” she said. “My responsibility was to dress up in outfits I created from this magnificent Multiples fashion line and model them all day so our customers could see how they could copy what I was wearing. I loved this fashion line because the style was elegant.”
Working in Softlines brought back memories of when she worked in fashion—coordinating colors and placement, dressing mannequins with flair, thinking about styles and preparing for fashion shows. She had the opportunity to assist in moral support for military spouses and their children by organizing fashion show events that highlighted the Exchange’s clothing merchandise.
“When I set up fashion shows for the Exchange, getting the models ready for makeup, selecting the outfits and runway… it was like I never left the fashion scene,” she said.
As Gonzales worked in different departments at the Exchange—softlines, retail and food, facility manager, and her current position, sales area manager of Power Zone/Outdoor Living at the Fort Lee Exchange, Gonzales learned about more than just retail.
“I learned about leadership, responsibility, accountability and respect in areas I didn’t think I could ever do because it wasn’t fashion,” she said. But I had a great management team and they were never too tired of giving me the tools to learn and adapt in any position.”
For Gonzales, working at the Exchange means giving back.
“One of my greatest memories and events that I recall and reflect on is 2018’s ‘We Care Event, when we helped military families send care packages to deployed service members overseas,” she said.
Gonzales also brought a family tradition of service to her job, which many associates can relate to—her husband retired from the military after 20 years in the Army.
“By watching my husband prepare for work every day, I understood how important everything he was doing was for the mission of serving our nation,” she said. “The Exchange provided me a chance to assist with that mission. At that point, I knew that I could help make a difference working for military families and with co-workers. I experienced so much pride in what I was doing that I wanted more challenging opportunities, and as I met them, it made me feel like I wanted to have a career with this great company.”
Facebook-friendly version: Former fashion model Petrice Gonzales created store displays, managed fashion shows and helped stage other events to help lift the spirits of military spouses and their children during her 31 years (and counting) at the Exchange. Read more: https://wp.me/p7iUVQ-4cy.
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