As a bonus, Melissa illustrated the challenges faced by an aspiring author of a history in finding just the right style for a book that will match your family's past experiences and current situation. In hindsight the link to fashion and the family business seems obvious, but Melissa was very frank in discussing the path by which she came to the form in which the book finally appeared.
Melissa referred to one particular book, by Edmund de Waal, that had shaped her ideas of an interesting family history. If you wish to see why, MBRC library has copies of The Hare with amber eyes. For a different view of how to approach the problem of finding the right "hook" for your story, try Kate Grenville's Searching for the Secret River (especially if you have read, The Secret River or watched the television version, also available for borrowing from the Library.)