Allyson Bridges owns and operates Up South, a ladies’ apparel, fashion jewelry, shoes, handbags and gift shop at 6628 Main Street, Gloucester, which she opened in April 2014.

Allyson Bridges

A native of Gloucester, Bridges grew up working in her grandmother’s florist shop and learned about retail work at a young age. Good customer service skills were stressed then and have remained with her.

In this age of e-commerce, Bridges said a great challenge has been “staying creative on ways to get my business name out there.”

Her mother and aunt (Connie Field and Karen Soles) are partners with her, giving her sound advice. “They are always the support I need when things get tough,” Bridges said.
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