2021 Women in Business

(in England), done interior design, owned retail stores and run the resort. She's also sold insurance. At times what she was really looking for was assurance; that her business ventures would work out so she could put food on the table; that she could succeed as a single mom. Tyree is the Englewood honoree this year in Women in Business, a magazine published annually by the Sun Coast Media Group. John, 34, turned out great, Tyree said. He attended Englewood public schools and the University of Miami. More on him later (Hint: Google was a keyword in his future.) A self-described "artsy person," Tyree has flitted back and forth between retail and design with ease. She owned Heart of England, which sold resale items, along with original items from England. At one point she got sick and decided that leaving retail and getting back into the interior design profession might help her mend. Twelve years ago, Tyree opened Ivy's Attic, a resale store in Linda Stevens' building on Access Road. The business was named in honor of Tyree's recently passed mother. Seven years ago Tyree moved the store to Dearborn, where it evolved into a fashion boutique that sells O My Gauze and Habitat Clothing product lines, among other protected lines. Her design flair is evident in the color on the walls in the store at 446 W. Dearborn Street. "They come for the color," she says. Like many businesses, last spring Ivy's was coasting like a sail boat working under perfect conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. But then COVID-19 forced lockdowns in Florida and across the country. Prior to the lockdown Tyree was getting ready to celebrate her 60th birthday in style. Eight family members came over from England and France. Her nephews' visit was a surprise. Three decades after vacationing in the Sea Beach, Tyree said she rented a nice house for this favorable occasion. But there was a lot of uncertainty. Breaking an oath, they turned on the TV and learned about the impact of the coronavirus on the United States and Europe. The European family members left on March 14. Travel was closed on March 15. (They got out just in time.) "Everybody was just worried about toilet paper at that point," Tyree said, bemused. The coronavirus has given Tyree plenty of opportunities to encourage friends and employees to persevere. During the pandemic several employees left Ivy's, but no one was let go, and all of her employees who remained – though not working – received 100 percent of their paychecks through a combination of funds from the federal government's Paycheck Protection Program and DRIVING continued on page 28 September 2021 Women In Business 27

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