The Difference Our Story
Our Story
Our style story started to take shape more than 30 years ago. Cheryl LeDoux’s career had largely been based around managing clothing stores. With an eye for fashion and a desire to help people, she enjoyed her job, and it was relatively simple to help women in their 20s find clothing that worked for both their body and their budget – both of which don’t have as many constraints as they do when we age.
But as her friends – and her – started to move into the next stage of life: marriage, motherhood, new career milestones, etc., she started to notice something. It was becoming increasingly difficult to find clothing that worked for women. As Cheryl says, “there was a need for women to find clothes that liked them, not just clothes that were in style.”
So, The Difference was born.
Cheryl and her team started offering personal shopping services, leading educational events and helping women transition gracefully to the next life stage by helping find clothing, accessories and makeup that worked for their specific situation. Eventually, it became harder to source specific styles and items from area department stores, so they began to carry brands and a certain style of clothing in their own storefront in Lake Oswego.
Business continued to flourish as we helped more women feel comfortable and confident in what they wore. One such woman was Heidi Johnson Bixby, a young financial planner who came to The Difference in her mid-20s on the advice of a coworker. Heidi had the desire to look professional in the financial industry yet still dress like a 27-year-old should dress. Cheryl guided her to success and Heidi was hooked.
After being a devoted client for 25 years, Heidi bought the business from Cheryl in 2016.
In 2019, The Difference opened their second location in Vancouver, Washington, expanding their footprint to help more women.
