1) What fall trends are you excited about?

In Atlanta, I feel like we are just now catching up to the trends of things like wide-leg denim. Women are really coming into the store asking for that now. I have ordered a lot from Kut Denim (Kut from the Kloth) and it has done really well. Also, Liverpool, another denim line! I have a particular interest in jackets and coats, incorporating the fall colors, and buying lighter sweaters to accommodate the climate we live in. Layering is a priority to me. I have a more mature customer and have tried to create outfits that make them feel comfortable and confident.

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

Anniversary weekends have done well. Pink Friday has done really well for us, too. Even better than Black Friday. I may try to do something that’s centered around a philanthropy that I am actively involved in. I am plugged into several nonprofits and would like to engage the community that I interact with in my ALB business as well, and position these partnerships as community engagement.

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

Instagram is our primary way of connecting with our customers. I have learned how to gather followers by boosting posts. That has worked by doing a scan of the store and boosting it for 6 days at $10 a day. I boosted one post three times in that exact way and gained 300 followers. I do get a lot of customers that say, “Hey, I saw your post!” and a lot of our loyal customers will stay on the lookout for our posts and will come in searching for a top or item that they saw in the post. We also use MailChimp and texting. Most importantly, communicating and being in the store with the customers.

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

I work in the boutique about 3 days a week and have such a great staff. They take care of things really well. I am not a micromanager, but I do tell them that everything can always be fixed; Outside of insulting a customer…that can be really hard to fix. I allow them to make decisions and add their value to the team. Every morning, I text the team that is working that day and let them know the revenue goal for the day. It was hard for me to look at the monthly stat report in the beginning months of my business, but now I use it daily and follow that model, and it’s been really helpful. The team always sends me updates on incoming inventory and keeps me updated on the daily operations. I also make it known that I am always accessible. Recently, we had a pizza and wine night, and I conducted training that I put together on the role of a stylist and how to improve the customer experience. I got business cards made for all of my stylists to hand out if they want to stay connected to customers.

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

Someone who can communicate. Most of our customers are between 30 – 65. If I hire someone younger than that, I will say, “I know you’re not in this age group yet, but I really need you to be able to communicate with everyone, no matter their ages.” Enthusiastic and has plenty of energy! Greets the customer with a smile and warmth. I also want them to be personally interested in women’s fashion and have a passion around that. I have hired several ladies who have been in a fashion merchandising program or something closely related, which has been nice. Someone who is responsible and who shows up!

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

My undergraduate degree is in Fashion Merchandising. I also have an MBA (both from UGA). Instead of going into the fashion industry, I ended up in technology, and my career took me to many different places along the way. I felt a huge gap in the fashion industry, and a friend of mine and I started a trunk show business back in 2009. We saw quite a bit of success, but the logistics became too much for the season of life we were in. When I saw the option of opening an ALB, I decided that I would love to do that! It has allowed me to really do what I love and do it the way that I want to, but also have the support of a larger structure behind me. I love women’s clothing, I love running a business, and I love making people happy and confident.

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? 

Well, a few things stand out right away…

1) Don’t give up. There are going to be days when you want to give up. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

2) Don’t try to do everything all at once. A lot of people are going to talk to you and tell you what you need to do. Find a focus and do a few things really really well. Make yearly goals for skills that you want to improve and ways that you can grow your business. Last year my goal was to improve my buying. My goal this year is improving my stylists and the customer experience. Next year my goal is marketing. Of course, we have to manage all these things, but we can’t be the best at everything all of the time.

3) Take care of yourself! Whatever that means, go to the gym, eat well, read. Don’t take everything so seriously because you’re always going to have challenges, but if you let them eat at you and take them too seriously, it’s not going to be fun anymore. Most businesses are really not profitable for the first 2-3 years. Accept that and know that you will get there.  

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

I think this goes back to doing everything we can to make the customer feel welcome and seen. We make the most of every single person that walks through the door. I’m really proud of our customer service. Clothes are secondary to the customer experience. Make an environment where they will want to come back, regardless of if they purchase something or not…and they will!