BOSTON – House of Culture, Patrick Petty’s clothing store in Boston’s South End, has been a Boston staple since 1991.
It started with the opening of his first store on Newbury Street as a culture shock. The store incorporated various cultural elements.
“When I first came here, Newbury Street was very conservative, so it was just a little bit of a twist,” Petty told WBZ-TV. In 1998, he changed the name of the store to House of Culture and moved it to Columbus Avenue in 2004, where it has been ever since.
Petty credits much of his business’s success to Boston’s international population.
“International kids were more exposed to other cultures, so that was a relief for us at Newbury Street, because that was probably 70 to 80 per cent of our customers.” he said, adding that they added to the diversity of the store’s atmosphere. .
“Anytime you look into the House of Culture or Culture Shock, you see a lot of different people,” Petty said.
He told WBZ that being a black business owner was difficult at first.
“Not everyone will immediately accept us at face value. People come with their own preconceptions about the culture and about us,” he said.
Petty developed a passion for fashion growing up with a father who was a minister and often wore suits, and a mother who loved to walk around wearing unique clothes and hats. He attended college in London to study fashion, and after meeting the owner of Allston Beat, a store then located on Newbury Street, moved to Boston to help out.
“I came here and the rest is history,” Petty said.
He has worked with many celebrities and is currently the stylist for New Kids on the Block and the Wahlberg brothers.
“They’re my go-to people. They’re always calling me to ship stuff, and then one day Donnie said he was looking for a new stylist and he gave me time off.” It’s like that,” Petty told WBZ.
Petty and the Wahlberg brothers met one day when Donnie stopped by the Allston Beat on Newbury Street looking for trendy clothes for Mark and the rest of the band.
“Things went from zero to 100 really quickly. One day I was in the store and the next day I was on a plane to London to go buy some tour stuff,” Petty said. Told. The two became such good friends that Donnie Wahlberg became the godfather to Petty’s daughter Zoe.
Zoe is currently involved with the store. She is working to expand her business.
“Who would have thought that she would grow up and the tables would turn and she would be kind of running the show,” he joked.
Petty’s biggest fashion advice is to “wear what you like, but take chances.” He wants people to have an open mind when it comes to trying new styles.
“I don’t like it when people come into the store and say they’re picky eaters. I think picky eaters don’t have a style because they always choose the same thing,” Petty explained.
As for advice for people looking to follow their dreams and become entrepreneurs, Petty said, “Just go for it and don’t think too much. When you ask someone something, the worst thing they say is The answer is ‘no’.” , but you’ll never know unless you try. ”
For more information about House of Culture, please visit their website.