Member in the Spotlight: Cynthia Schroeder

This month for our Member in the Spotlight, we asked Cynthia Schroeder a few questions.  Cynthia is the owner of Spring Street Boutique on the Downtown Mall, which has been host to various AFC events including the recent "Fashion and Scandal" talk and the recent Fashion Show on Saturday, February 8.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I moved to Charlottesville from New York City where I studied at the Parsons School of Design.  I have had the Soho-inspired Spring Street Boutique for 12 years.  I have been busy buying and selling clothes, organizing art exhibitions, special events and fashion shows since our inception.  I love traveling, and exploring new places. I have lived in Nepal and traveled through Asia.  I love the beach anywhere but the Caribbean in particular.

What is one interesting or important fact AFC members should know about you?

My lifelong mission since childhood has been to help animals. I used my business expertise to open my boutique, Spring Street. The store has served as a vehicle to establish the Spring Street Foundation for Cats and Dogs, which raises money for medical research to alleviate animal suffering.

Why French?I have always been a Francophile. I love the culture, arts, history, food, literature, fashion and fabrics especially toiles.  I studied French in high school and have more time now to dedicate myself to French.  It is a nice complement to my daily activities that focus on clothes.  I am inspired by Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn, the teachings of Buddha, and my humanitarian father.

What is or what are your favorite French/Francophone works of art (book, film, painting, song, etc.)?

I love the book Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser. I love Sandra Gulland's books The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe and The Last Great Dance on Earth.  I was moved by the movie Elle s’appelle Sarah, and I love the movies Le Dernier métro, Au revoir les enfants, and Farewell My Queen.  I am also a big fan of the Impressionist movement.

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on a Fashion Show fundraiser for the Alliance Francaise, a lecture about Marie Antoinette’s gardens and “The Festival of the Elephant.” There is an extraordinary amount of poaching and sawing off tusks of the elephant, and we are hoping to raise awareness.

What is your favorite word in the French language?

"Petite" sounds sweet.

If you had one superpower, what would it be?

 If I had one superpower, I would alleviate animal cruelty.

What is your favorite motto?

Integrity is what you do when no one else is looking.