OFF TO MARKET

from Liberty Hill Independent Monthly - October 2022

SMALL BUSINESS SISTERS

How local boutique owners decide what to sell

BY RACHEL MADISON

STAFF WRITER

Liberty Hill is becoming well known for its wide variety of boutiques. From Simply Home, which has been a part of Liberty Hill’s shopping scene for 10 years, to Main Street Marketplace, which just opened a few months ago, women entrepreneurs continue to add new and unique boutiques to the area’s offerings -- with each one selling their own specific style to their customers.

Each of the boutique owners caters to their specific customer type, and much of the decision making is done at major markets in cities like Dallas and Atlanta -- places where they can shop 15-story buildings that span thousands of square feet with showroom after showroom of products like apparel, gifts, accessories and home goods.

There’s a lot more to going to market than meets the eye though, as the process isn’t just about the thrill of shopping. Much more goes into the selection process, from creating a budget to planning on what types of items to search for, deciding how much of each product is needed, how early to purchase the products ahead of a season or holiday and choosing items customers will love.

Preparing for a trip to market is a process in and of itself. For example, Tami Spearman, owner of Simply Home Decor & More plans almost a year ahead for some of her merchandise, like shopping for the next year’s Christmas season the January before, and shopping for home and gift items nearly a year ahead of time.

Kami Pogue, owner of The Blue Door Gift Store, focuses her inventory on locally made products first, and then goes to market for the rest.

“When I get to market, I am your personal shopper. I go with all my customers in my head,” Pogue said. “It’s personal for me. I’m always looking for new things, but my other number one priority is where the product is made and how it’s made. I don’t buy things that aren’t fair trade, which means they provide living wages for the workers that are manufacturing the product. I also look for companies that give back to charitable organizations.

“Me living through my customers’ lives is how I know what to buy and what to get and what to look for,” she added. “Everyone was traveling this year, so I focused a lot on resort wear.”

Stacie Kenyon, owner of Ash & Crown/ Main Street Marketplace, said everyone has their own way of preparing for market.

“When I go to market I have a list of things I’ve made over time that I want to look for, because it’s easy to get distracted and sidetracked when you get there,” she said. “It’s easy for your money to go fast when you’re seeing so much. It can be overwhelming. I like to look at everything and then make a decision, but there’s no way you can look at everything. If you do that, you end up with nothing, so you need to have a plan but also be flexible.”

Renee O’Dell, owner of Pep & Punch, said now that Pep & Punch is almost three years old, she has a better idea of what her customers are looking for than the first time she went to market in 2019.

“The number one thing for our store is if it fits our brand when we are looking at products,” O’Dell said. “Obviously we look at trends, and if it’s already being sold elsewhere. If it’s a specific brand, is another store carrying it? If they are, we don’t want to. We don’t want to step on toes, and for us all to thrive, we need variety.”

Spearman added that the area boutique owners don’t talk specifically to each other about what they’re going to market for, but they understand each boutique’s vibe.

“We don’t want to go and get the same vendor someone else has, and every store owner here is very different,” she said.

Spearman said it’s important to do the research on what’s up and coming before heading to market. Because of her store’s setup, she looks at a lot of different areas, like home, kitchen, baby, fashion and jewelry.

“We are a little unique, because we are a lifestyle boutique, not just fashion, so I go to the home and gift market and the fashion market,” Spearman said.

“You also have to learn what works for you and your business,” she said. “You learn your customers. Because we have been in business for 10 years, we do that well. We know what they are coming in here for, so we go to market to look for them.”

The western industry is different from others in both product and the industry itself, said Whitney Petroski, owner of Ginger Roots Boutique, a women’s western wear shop.

“In our social media and advertising, we have a lot of influencers at our disposal we work with,” Petroski said. “We follow them [on social media] and they are on point with my vibe here and what I want to do. There’s a mashup in the store of the glitzy, boho and traditional cowgirl styles. Plus, we sell just everyday wear with a western twist.”

Petroski said going to market is also a good opportunity to network, not just to buy inventory.

“The Dallas market has partnered with influencers to create this environment of networking, so when we go during that time we have mixers and meetings and collaborations with all those people. It’s a big meeting of the minds for the western industry.”

Once Spearman gets to market, she makes her decisions pretty quickly because she has a lot of ground to cover in a week or less.

“I don’t want to waste time having to go back to a showroom,” she said. “I have it down to a science. I have to buy from so many different areas. Market is so much fun, but it’s also exhausting and your brain is just going all day. It’s a lot of work, but when you get home you’re pumped because you’ve seen the latest and greatest products for your customers.”

Spearman said it’s also important to know your numbers and know them well.

Whitney Petroski, front right, owner of Ginger Roots Boutique, and Sarah Bolton, front center, boutique manager, meet with representatives from American Bonfire Sunglasses at a recent market. (Courtesy Photo)

“I run weekly reports to what areas are selling best and what sells better in fourth quarter versus first quarter,” she said. “You base your budget on your goals and where you want that number to be.”

Pogue added that as a business owner, it’s important to know your numbers and make them work for your budget.

“You can’t buy too much of something -- it’s like going to the grocery store,” she said. “You have your list and you know how much you can spend on it.”

Shopping online is always an option, but many of the boutique owners prefer to go to market to see and feel the fabrics of the things they are considering buying.

“I’m very picky on fabric selection,” Spearman said. “I want to feel how thick it is, how it’s going to wash, things like that. You can’t do that when you’re looking online. Plus, the reps for the different companies there can tell you how things are selling, what is up and coming, and you can gain their knowledge. You can also see how they are decorating with the home décor items. I come home with probably 1,500 pictures on my phone with ideas on how to display the décor.”

Kenyon agreed and said the best thing about market is getting to feel everything and see it in person.

“Sometimes you just don’t know what you’re getting, and that’s the important thing to me about the items,” she said. “My favorites are ones I saw in person and felt the quality and the fabric, and that’s what makes it special to me. It’s not just random stuff you see a picture of.”

Most of the shop owners also buy what they personally like.

“I basically shop for stuff that I want for myself -- I just buy what I like,” Kenyon said.

Spearman agreed.

“A rep may tell me something is the hottest item out there, but if it’s totally not something I like, I am going to have trouble selling it,” she said. “I have to like everything I purchase. That doesn’t mean it goes in my house or closet, but I have to see the appeal in order to sell it to my customers.”

Petroski said she also shops for her customers and keeps in mind the things they’ve been gravitating toward.

“We have a loyal customer base here and we keep them in our brains when we are shopping,” she said. “We know their vibe and what they’ll love.”

Petroski starts making a list a few months before she heads to market of things she hasn’t been carrying but wants to, or a new product she’d like to sell.

“At market you can get a jump on the products because that’s where you see it first,” she said. “A lot of times the products will sell out there before they ever make it to a website to be sold. Like with the Judy Blue brand of jeans, they sell out super fast. We went to market specifically for them and bought seven styles this time because they are our most popular brand of jean.”

Each owner agreed that it’s important to wear comfortable shoes, drink plenty of water and be ready for hours and hours of shopping when they go to market.

(Top left) Kami Pogue, owner of The Blue Door Gift Store, and her mom, Yvonne Zimmer, at Pogue’s most recent trip to market. (Top right) Jeff and Stacie Kenyon, owners of Main Street Marketplace, went to the Dallas Market in August to shop for their boutique. (Above) Tami Spearman, left, owner of Simply Home, and her sister, Teresa Cooley, pose together at the Dallas Market. Spearman shops almost a year ahead of time for most of her store’s products. (Courtesy Photos)

Who We Are

The Branigan Team is a part of Straight Realty, a locally owned real estate firm here in Liberty Hill. Jon and Rose Branigan are both lifelong residents of Liberty Hill, having over 25 years of experience covering all areas of real estate including, new home construction, commercial, land development, resale listings. Jon and Rose have developed and sold many of the local Liberty Hill subdivisions such as, Rio Ancho, Iron Oak, Stone Creek Ranch, Ranches at Bentley Ridge and Rosemont. With over 500+ homes sold in the Liberty Hill area, the Branigans have played a key role in Liberty Hill’s growth over the years.

Why Choose Us?

As REALTORS® in the Liberty Hill area real estate market, we have many featured properties for sale. We have an extensive marketing plan that includes several strategies of advertising and marketing for our clients to sell their homes and land with maximum exposure. We have extensive experience in developing land and can use that experience to help our commercial and large landowner clients find buyers for their properties. Call us to find out how we can help you reach your real estate goals.