Owner of the Month

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!

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!

1) What fall trends are you excited about?

• I am still shopping for fall and holiday 2024 but key trends that are emerging are…
  • Cheetah print, dresses. Tops, accessories 
  • 2 Fers- a layered sweater over a woven top. Vests or a sweater with a shirt underneath. Elan is a vendor that started a lot of that trend last year. 
  • Denim: barrel and wide leg are a key trend 
  • Off-the-shoulder tops, sweaters, and dresses
    

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! 

• We focus on a tax-free week in August for back-to-school 
• October is breast cancer awareness month. We plan two Pink Parties and coordinate it with the dates of the parent’s weekend at the Universities in town 
• We celebrate the holidays at our Shop and Stroll in December 

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

• We communicate with our customers through social media. We have a multi-channel strategy which includes emails, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. 

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

It is important and valuable to work in the store with your staff and talk with them one-on-one to create dialogue and get feedback about products, best sellers, and missed opportunities. We communicate by text in group chat, have seasonal meetings as a team, and go out for staff dinners to celebrate milestones and accomplishments. 

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

I look for associates who are: 

• Personable, outgoing, and able to connect with customers
• Girls who represent the brand in a positive manner 
• And it is important for everyone to be responsible and dependable 
• Have an eye and interest for fashion and trends
  

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

My prior career in fashion required a lot of commuting and traveling and I wanted to have a better work-life balance. I opened my Apricot Lane Boutique over 13 years ago which enabled me to stay in fashion while also allowing me to be more available and spend time with my family and local community. 

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? 

1. Don’t give up! You’re not going to hit 100% all of the time, and you will make mistakes, know that not everything that you do is going to be right, be willing to course-correct and it will get better! 
2. Study and learn about your customers vs. imposing your personal points of view. Know your customer, and their taste, and know their style is always evolving, be open to new ideas, and take calculated risks. 
3. Be sure that you have made a realistic financial plan. Some days/months will be good, some will not. 

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

With our great products, a combination of name brands such as Free People and ZSupply and trendy LA brands, we merchandise to enhance the product by spending a lot of time focusing on the tables, the features, and the mannequins, every day to grab our customers’ attention when they walk into the store. We keep our store clean and are always reworking the store to be the best and look the best that it can. 

1) What summer trends are you excited about?
Crochet, girly things! Lots of pastels, and lace! We are a college campus but we have seen an uptick in a more mature look with lots of neutrals, and vintage athletic! Lots of polos, stripes, pleated trousers and shorts.

2) What events do you have planned for the summer season? Feel free to tell us about anything fun you have planned for fall, too! Since we are a college town, summer is pretty slow. Our 2nd anniversary is in June, and we’ll do a swag bag, treats, and a special promotion! When the students come back in the fall we do a back-to-school event for the students and offer student discounts!

3) How do you stay connected with your customers? How do you communicate with her?
We mostly communicate through Instagram. We have started to get our footing on TikTok which has been great, and we do share a lot of collections such as vacation outfits, game day, etc. We also communicate through Facebook, but our main demographic tends to be on Instagram. 

4) What is one thing that you do to stay connected and engaged with your employees? 
I’m a pretty open person, I make a point to talk and connect with them daily in the store. I want to see what my employees are shopping for, and what kind of events they have coming up. They help keep me in the loop as a lot of my employees are college students and are involved in a lot of different things on campus, like sororities! We sometimes book a special studio space for a photoshoot and I involve my employees as models and they really enjoy getting to be involved in that way! I feel so lucky because all of my employees get along really well! 

5) What are some attributes you look for when hiring a stylist/employee for your boutique?
I am always looking for an outgoing personality! I always ask them what current trends they love, and influencers that they enjoy following online and see their ability to engage in conversation surrounding those topics. I want to see that they have an interest in fashion outside of work and know that they have a desire to keep up with trends on their own and engage in those conversations with customers while they are at work, naturally as well!

5) What is your “why” behind being an owner of an Apricot Lane Boutique? 
I’ve always really loved fashion. It’s always been a vessel for me to express myself and I want other people to feel that way too. 

6) 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? 
I think I would say to keep in mind that you’re learning something new every single day. Always put your best foot forward. Remember that your employees can be one of your best resources, and lean into them! ALB Headquarters have always been a great resource for me and they are always very willing to help and guide me if I am ever feeling unsure about something.  Don’t be afraid to switch up your merchandising and sales floor and try new things, keep fresh inventory! Be sure to shop the competition in your area, and go around and see what kind of inventory is near you so that you know how to differentiate yourself. There are a lot of online boutiques in our community, so for me, it’s sometimes going online and seeing what is on there and asking myself what I can bring in-store so that the customer can get the in-store experience and not have to worry about sizing, etc.!

7) What are some unique things you do to elevate the environment and shopping experience in your boutique? 
I do try to keep up with what’s going on with the college campus near us and decorate for whatever big event they have going on so that the students feel like we are engaged with their world and want to shop with us! I also keep a fun cooler with refreshments available to the customers when they come in. 

1) What summer trends are you excited about?

Our customer’s greatest feedback has been on the disco cowboy theme! They love the unique cowboy hats and puffed sleeves and are fully embracing the trend. Both moms and daughters! The crocheted and bohemian look is also huge and equally as fun. The customers get so excited about these unique offerings! I order accessories and jewelry from Joia, Judson, and Fame about once a week and in big orders, but they always sell! I love ordering from She & Sky and Blue B for unique pieces for the disco cowboy theme. 

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

We just completed our anniversary weekend. We brought in different women-owned vendors at various times throughout the weekend. We were busy over multiple days and guests were able to come in and select the time that best fit their busy schedules so that was fun to see! We are talking about having another event this summer where we continue to partner with other businesses in our center. We are going to be partnering with a local cookie company, and a Mexican restaurant where we will have a “Margarita Night” at the boutique. We want to offer unique experiences for our customers and make it fun! 

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

As an owner, I find the best way to stay connected with my customers is to actively work the sales floor. I am out there at least one morning during the week and on Fridays and Saturdays. I’m actively engaging with them on our sales floor and identifying what gaps may exist in our inventory to fill the floor with what the customers need and want. We are very active on social media and provide opportunities for customers to share what they are excited about and what they are looking for. It gives us a chance to gauge if we have enough of what we are seeing the customers getting excited about! We send about 2-3 emails a month to our customers announcing new collections/arrivals/trend alerts! 

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

One thing that I try to do is make sure that I am working with all of my employees at some point every couple of weeks. I am only in the store 3 days a week and I intentionally rotate the employee’s schedules, so that it provides an opportunity for me to work one-on-one with them and provide in-the-moment feedback, find out what their strengths are, and just get to know them better and enjoy conversation! I try to build a personal relationship with them so they know they can openly reach out to me if they need anything. I believe because we have open communication, has benefited our entire team tremendously as it gives the leadership team the opportunity to fine-tune support our employees may need! We also text a lot and keep that line of communication open! 

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

When we do hiring we have developed an interview questionnaire that is situational in nature. We ask them, for example, “Tell me about a time when you encountered a challenge with a coworker, and what you did to handle the situation.” Questions like that on the front end help us get insight into how they handle different scenarios in a work environment. Certain behaviors of past experiences give you insight into how they will handle future situations. The biggest thing that we look for is personality and a positive attitude! Do they have a relatable, positive personality?! If so, all of the rest of the skills can be trained.

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

I started 13 years ago as a part-time Stylist, then to a Manager, then to a Buyer. Then I helped manage and buy for multiple stores and then became a Partner, and now the Owner. Being in the franchise has really helped me learn more about myself and identify what I’m good at. I’ve learned most of the skills I have along the way and working with mentors and Headquarters. I love what I do! I enjoy working with customers. I love the challenge of developing employees and the team dynamic. I love that I get to have creative input in my business but still have support from other owners and the franchise HQ team to provide support and guidance. When I have a challenge, I have never felt alone. During the harder times, I have always had someone there to encourage me and help me become more confident in my abilities to face the next challenge and never give up! There is nothing like a Saturday afternoon buzz with customers and employees and seeing the smiles on the faces of the women who are positively impacted by what we do! I love making women feel seen and heard, and we are about providing that in a fun way through fashion! 

6) 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? 

I would give them two pieces of advice, the first one is to use your resources. Know what they are and use them. The franchise, other owners, your employees, and other business owners in your community! There is so much support and information out there, so lean in! The second thing would be to hold deeply to your “why” behind your journey of being an owner. This will keep you grounded during the challenging moments and give you what you need to push through that challenge! When you get to the other side of that challenge, it is so rewarding! 

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

We are always rotating and refreshing our boutique. I train all of my employees on merchandising so that they learn how to style for our customers! We cater primarily to moms and daughters and we help our employees understand what they are looking for so that they can relate to them when they come in! Sometimes restyling something can make it new again! 

1) What summer trends are you excited about?

I know my customers are coming in for the mini dresses, and the short-alls from Free People. In  April, our dress sales are 34% of our sales already, so we’re excited for more dresses in general, styles, and lengths.

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

This year I’m making an effort to do more events. I’m partnering with friends and businesses to do more beauty-themed/makeover-style events. We just did an Open House on Thursday with a friend of mine who is a hair stylist; she provided brow tinting, and I featured new arrivals from Z Supply, Free People, Hidden, and the new Graphic Tee collab from Girl Dangerous. We had champagne, cupcakes, and a pair of Diff Sunglasses giveaway. Our anniversary is coming up at the end of April as well, we do custom cupcakes (apricot flavored on the inside) swag bags, and fashion cash. We also do a push through social media. I plan on doing something for Mother’s Day by working with a local florist to build your own bouquet! I’m networking with other ALB owners and adopting some of their event ideas as well! I’m using some of the resources we have going on in my personal life too, such as networking with the mothers in my daughter’s daycare, and planning a private shopping event for them. 

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

I don’t get to work in the boutique as much as I would like with two young kids. But I stay connected with social media with try-ons and talk directly to my customers through social media! The customers resonate with that and feel connected to me personally in that way. I do use Email Marketing for events, big sales, and birthday emails but try to reserve email marketing for those occasions so that I don’t overwhelm my customers with emails. 

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

I have a fairly small team, and we stay connected organically due to that. They have been with me for a long time so they know the expectations and we all communicate well together. We communicate throughout the day and keep each other in the know. I love that Lightspeed has allowed me to take control of inputting inventory and pricing from home. They keep me informed if packages arrive and if customers have a question or an issue. I take them out to dinner, we’re going to have a pool party this summer at my home and I try to treat them to build a connection between them! 

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

My “Why” started from the very beginning. The boutique was open for 10 years before I bought it. It was my favorite place to shop in college and through young adulthood. When she was closing, I was heartbroken and at that point, I had moved back to the area and was working in a job I didn’t love. My husband and I talked it over, and when we realized it was a franchise we started the path of finding out what it would take to re-open it ourselves. I knew that if I was shocked and sad that it was closing, many others in my community were too. There aren’t many places to shop around here so I wanted to provide that bright spot for women in our community to keep shopping! I’ve also enjoyed making it my own and giving it a fresh look and feel. 

6) 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?
The numbers don’t lie when it comes to department and vendor stock turn. I look at it daily, because it’s so important to do and follow what your numbers are saying for that month and that quarter. Don’t spend all of your open to buy at Market, leave yourself some wiggle room to adapt to what’s actually happening once you’re open. Social media is a very important piece to getting new people in. Get new content for new arrivals! Use boosting and sponsored posts to get your content out there to expand your reach within your community. I infiltrate the local market with lots of content at smaller dollar amounts. It really does pay off over time! 

1) What summer trends are you excited about?

Dresses! All of the events in March, April, and May are huge for us. We have a huge focus on the Kentucky Derby customer and then after the Derby, we shift our focus to Mother’s Day and graduation. Also, every month we highlight wedding guest dresses. Midi’s and maxi’s are huge for my customers! 

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

We just celebrated our 14-year anniversary during a two-day event.  We sampled slushy drinks that we are now selling in the boutique, and we did a raffle for the “Top of the Month” club which I gleamed from another owner  in during the Dallas conference. We gave out new totes which we offer 20% off every Tuesday if they bring that tote back in. I’ve done it for 10 years. On April 11th we will have a Spring Fling Sale. There is a Puppy Palooza event that involves our entire plaza and about 1200 dogs and a lot of puppy vendors fill our greenspace. We get a huge amount of traffic, so we offer coupons for 20% off for one item and set up on the sidewalk to get people into the store. We also do a Memorial Day weekend sale as well. 

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

We use Instagram stories frequently, for real-time community updates and save them in our highlights for easy access. We also use texting, if we have a big sale or event. We also use Mailchimp for our loyalty program and try to save email communication for big sales, events, or their birthday coupon. 

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

I see my team as a family. We do social outings, we may gather at someone’s house and play games. We use Sling for scheduling (it’s an app) and they work out a lot of scheduling issues themselves. The moms on our team do a great job of taking care of the high school and college-aged girls and the younger girls do a lot of great work with our social media accounts! Everyone has their strengths! 

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

I love the family atmosphere that the franchise provides and all of the support they give you. I love being able to call another store and bounce ideas and questions off of them including sharing top-producing vendors, brainstorming, and helping each other out. 

6) 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?

First and foremost, make sure you have a cash flow statement. Look at your sales column every day. Be aware of your cash flow each day so that you can get a handle on your finances and credit cards. You may not pay yourself for a bit until you get yourself established and have a loyal clientele. But stick with it and be aware!