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Born in Riobamba, an Ecuadorian city nestled in the Valley of the Andes, Menoscal, 82, moved to New York City 55 years ago and opened up two shops that sold New York-themed clothing as well as jewelry. She said she never planned to open up a new store in the Upper Valley but was enticed by an opportunity after visiting Hanover in 1990 on a trip with her son, who was in college in Albany.

"We were (driving around) just looking, but not really looking for a place because I never thought I'd open a store in Hanover," Menoscal said. "But I saw a ski shop (at 34 S. Main St.) that was going out of business and that was really interesting to me because Hanover looked (to be) a great place and there were so many shoppers around."

Menoscal said the shop owner told her he was closing because of family matters. A few months later, Menoscal's new shop, Traditionally Trendy, occupied the space.

Using an approach similar to those she employed at her shops in Manhattan, which are still open, Menoscal wanted to capitalize on the biggest market in Hanover: Dartmouth College. Her store was a go-to shop for Dartmouth-themed apparel including shirts, sweatpants, sweatshirts, scarves, and even baby clothes -- all emblazoned with the college's signature green-and-white stripes or in its dark-green color.

Hanover was a bit more "quaint and quiet" when Traditionally Trendy first opened, Menoscal said, but really hasn't changed much in the 31 years she was in business at 34 S. Main St. One subtle change was that Dartmouth students, whom she often hired (including the last two employees to work there), weren't looking for jobs in town as frequently as when the store first opened.

Beyond that, Menoscal said she found Hanover to be a warm and inviting place. Of Ecuadorian and Spanish descent, Menoscal said friends advised her when searching for retail space in New York that she should be careful where she looked, not every neighborhood would easily welcome a person of her background.

"(In Hanover) everybody welcomed me," Menoscal said. "It was a great experience."

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