Gwen Whiting

I needed that for my brand to like go to the next step.

Why did you think that?

Because it just seemed like it was needed to be bigger and to get into different distribution categories and things that I didn't necessarily have experience with.

Maybe I didn't have that much also interest in like getting into the grocery store business, but I just was like, okay, that's for someone else who does that.

And again, this is also sort of the understanding of what happened in the landscape, what other brand trajectories were.

I think that no one is more qualified or competent or passionate or the vision of

the brand than me, period.

And I was also in a complicated situation.

I'm saddened by what happened, but I can't regret it because I was in a very, very complicated, toxic partnership work environment.

So I kind of did what I had to do, but I didn't expect the outcome.

They came into my store on Prince Street.

I had a retail store on Prince Street.

I started talking to my sales associate.

Like it was so bizarre.

It was completely unprofessional.

And, you know, you kind of like always are like, what are you doing here?

Are you like sussy now?

Are you copying?

Are you like looking at the competition?

Like, what are you doing?