An Iowa woman who started her own business after losing her long-time job will be featured tonight on the C.B.S. Evening News. Roxanna White owns and operates " The Basket Boutique " in Huxley, a small town between Ames and Ankeny.
"They’ve been doing a segment on how the economy has been affecting entrepreneurs and small businesses," she says, "so they’re going to be talking to me about how I went from working at Wells Fargo — you know, making decent money — to being laid off, to going after my dream and my passion." White says she was inspired by a friend who "looked her in the eye" and asked her what she truly loved to do.
"I followed my passion and found the passion and this is what kind of evolved from that," she says. White’s shop has been open for about a year and a half. It’s located in a strip mall along Highway 69. White hopes tonight’s broadcast inspires others to follow their dream.
"We have some really cute boutiques here in Huxley and we refer back and forth to each other and that’s just kind of how we work," she says. "We’ve really got some nice places up here."
White grew up in Grinnell. Her maiden name was Roxanne Dixon. She married and lived in Grinnell, where her oldest son graduated from high school in 2000. The family moved to Ames, then to Huxley.