1) What fall trends are you excited about?

We have a lot of menswear influences, such as dress shirt looks, dresses, and tops that have the men’s styling influencer. Elan and Dear John have been vendors we have been working with to establish those trends. For our customers, we are looking at faux leather accents rather than the full faux leather look. Mixed media tops are also doing well.

2) What events do you have planned for the Fall season? Feel free to tell us about anything fun you have planned for the holidays, too! 

I participate in a really large holiday market that happens the 3rd weekend in November. It’s a lot of preparation but worth it. I have some pop-up events scheduled for September. We invite the fairy hair in, permanent jewelry. We are always looking for new things to do!

3) How do you stay connected with your customers? How do you communicate with her?

My customers are mostly seeing us on social media. I talk to the customers a lot on the floor, and I check in and see what styles they are looking for. If they are looking for something specific I want to make note of that. I am here almost every day of the week. I am looking into starting a texting system as well and would like to bring it in for 2025. Instagram is our most popular platform overall, for our older customers, Facebook is a big deal.

4) What is one thing that you do to stay connected and engaged with your employees? 

We have a group text with the staff has been a huge game changer for my communication with my employees. I use that daily so that everyone is informed. I do give free clothes as incentives for meeting certain goals, and offer them clothing to wear during their shifts. They get to pick out anything in the store for their birthdays. I bring in Crumbl cookies, and the occasional goodies for them. 

5) What attributes do you look for when hiring a stylist/employee for your boutique? 

I look for an eye for fashion, but also I look for friendliness in my employees. I have hired a few young girls who didn’t have much work experience, but had a long list of volunteer work experience, and have noticed when they have a service-minded heart, that can reflect well into the kind of environment I want to create in the boutique. I like for them to be friendly, outgoing enough to carry on a conversation with all age ranges, and just a kind person, generally speaking. I also love it when they are well-versed in social media.

6) What is your “why” behind being an owner of an Apricot Lane Boutique? 

I’ve always wanted my own business. My degree is in merchandising. I started out working in a buying office in my early 20s working in a department store and my love for retail grew from an early age. I loved looking at trends and what people are looking for. This is the best job I’ve ever had. I love making people feel confident and special about what they are wearing. I want people to feel good about themselves when they leave my store and hopefully, they leave feeling like their day is just a little bit brighter than when they come in. This goes back to why it’s so important to hire the right people who can make that happen for our customers.

7) If you could give a piece of advice to a new owner, maybe someone who is about to open or who has been open less than one year, what would you say? 

Stick to your budget! Don’t feel pressured to buy 6 months before the season hits – leave margin! Find people who are better at certain things than you are to round out the skill set on your team. Identify what your weaknesses are and look to add those skills to your team. Let certain things go, find trustworthy people! The other piece of advice is to be able to mark down things that don’t work out. If it’s not selling, mark it down.

8) What are some unique things you do to elevate the environment and shopping experience in your boutique? 

As soon as we hear the door open, we say “Welcome in!!” and whoever is closest will approach them. We always have beverages available, water, coffee, tea, soda, and even Trulys! Sometimes I just stop and get a few balloons at the store and have those up in front of our store and it helps get people in!