Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Morgan Bryant. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Morgan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

In short, if I could go back, I truly wouldn’t change a thing.

In 2017 I was three years in working as a retail store manager feeling underappreciated, exhausted and honestly going through the motions day to day. Overall I was miserable in my career and naturally the negative energy projected into personal life. I knew that I needed to commit to making a major change within myself to have the opportunity to create the life I wanted and deserved. Opening a women’s boutique and curating my own collection has been a dream of mine since high school so why was I stuck working for someone else? Like many people, having the courage to take the leap, leave your current comfort zone and venture into entrepreneurship is scary so for years I was stuck “waiting for the right time.”

Two years went by and I faced constant setbacks and heard “no” from every angle possible. I quickly discovered that even with my local connections, being a woman in her mid 20s trying to create a business from the ground up was going to be an extremely challenging adventure. I was determined to keep going and navigate the lows, change directions every time I was denied because I had a clear vision of myself thriving in my own boutique space, being my own boss and offering a service to women within my community.

During the difficult time of trying to navigate how to open my own boutique I was still working full time during the day, part time in the evenings and planning the new boutique at night. This allowed me to live off one paycheck and save the other. I became fully dedicated to my goal when this shift happened. Saving every penny I could and saying “no” to friends became easier and easier because I was focused. After so much rejection I realized I didn’t need to get approved for funding. I remember asking myself, “why are you wasting your time, energy and focus on such a small part of the equation?” When I envisioned my business it’s in my name and there weren’t opinions or input form others which gave me the confidence to fund this project solely on my own.

The next major shift occurred after submitting the sixth LOI on a commercial building and as you can guess, I got rejected. I knew location was a major factor for the success of my business and I spent days studying foot traffic patterns of shoppers in our downtown area. I refused to compromise by settling on a building that was not on our major shopping street in the heart of downtown. Thankfully, I was forced to think outside the box and everything started looking up – literally.

In August of 2019 I signed a three year lease on a commercial space on the second floor of a building on the iconic Broughton Street in Savannah, Georgia. At the time, there was only one or two businesses located on the second floor of Broughton Street and I knew my marketing was going to have to be superb to draw people up a flight of stairs. I was proud to be the new business on the block and Morgan Rae Boutique opened October 1st 2019. I’m pleased to share that I funded every aspect from start up to now completely on my own. (This played a major role later on in quickly being able to turn a profit and have little debt.)

I’m here to tell you, don’t wait. You can do it! Be confident in knowing you are on the your journey and don’t compare your timeline or success to anyone else’s. The lows and nos are there to build character and make you resilient because the road to opening is just the beginning of the challenges you will face as an entrepreneur.

Morgan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Morgan Bryant and I am born and raised in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. I have a deep passion for fashion, embrace challenges and enjoy uplifting other women. I am an entrepreneur, philanthropist and hope my story inspires others to follow their dreams.

My love for shopping started when I got my first taste of freedom as a teenager in high school. I would drive to the mall or walk through downtown Savannah window shopping for hours and dreamed of having my own store one day. My retail journey began when I was in college working at the best bridal salon in Savannah. I quickly realized I enjoyed being surrounded by beautiful clothing, thrived in a fast paced environment and was decent at holding conversations with strangers. For the next decade I worked various retail jobs and gained the trust of many loyal customers and I felt empowered knowing they were coming to be dressed by me. My job was rewarding but I knew working for someone else was never going to be truly fulfilling.

My goal with opening Morgan Rae boutique was to provide affordable clothing for special events and life moments. I knew our area was lacking shopping options and it was a niche that I was confident I could successfully create.

Daily, I hear directly from customers how my hand selected merchandise is high quality and unique while sparking their joy and creativity. Providing a product people want to buy is only half the battle. The biggest compliment, and what I feel like sets us apart from our competitors, is our commitment to offering an excellent customer experience. I’ve personally booked dinner reservations, spa appointments, private boat charters, offered champagne, hand delivered clothing, assisted with planning proposals and the list goes on and on. I truly feel like myself and the Morgan Rae team go above and beyond for our customers. The common goal is to ensure they have the absolute best shopping experience with us inside or outside of the boutique.

I created an environment that feels welcoming and inviting so customers are comfortable and feel heard. As women we are extremely critical of our appearance and at Morgan Rae Boutique we offer a safe space to explore new things, rebuild confidence and embrace self love. Our stylist are hands on during your shopping experience and offer suggestions and assistance with anything you may need.

I am proud of the community of women that has organically formed around myself and Morgan Rae Boutique. It is crucial to have positive, like minded, driven women in your inner circle and I consider myself blessed. Former employees have gone on to work professionally in the competitive fashion industry, product development, live theatres and more.

Morgan Rae Boutique’s annual fundraiser, Ladies Happy Hour, has raised thousands of dollars for local nonprofits and I look forward to watching the event grow more and more. This fun shopping night hosts over 25 local vendors plus over 40 small business donate to our raffle. This event allows artisans and small businesses to set up a pop up shop with hundreds of customers, offering great exposure allowing their products to be in front of a new audience. Our annual fundraiser started as a passion project and has turned into something bigger than I expected which I am thankful for and proud of.

Since 2020 Morgan Rae Boutique has donated over $10,000 to the community. The platform I have created gives me the opportunity to give back and that will never stop. You have the choice! When you shop at a small business you truly are supporting and investing back into your local community.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

When Morgan Rae Boutique opened in October of 2019 I had no clue that a global pandemic was going to occur shortly after. I thought the lockdown was going to destroy everything I had worked for years trying to plan and fund. Our commercial building is owned by a bank plus we weren’t open for six months to apply for government assistance or receive any help with payroll. I was forced to move back in with my fiance’s parents because I couldn’t afford to live. Overall the moral was low and the unknown caused major anxiety in my daily life. The fact we had to close our doors for weeks absolutely crushed me but I was determined to not let it define me. I still had a clear vision of what Morgan Rae could and will be.

I started building an App within Apple Developer and really focus on the flow of our website to make it the best it could be for customer’s online shopping experience. I held private one on one shopping appointments and launched our live selling videos on Instagram. Shopping parties at customers homes became popular and truly helped me pay rent. None of these things would have happened if Covid didn’t force me to pick myself up and pivot. I am thankful everyday for customers that remained loyal and knew the importance of continuing to support small businesses during such a horrific, uncertain time.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I am proud of the reputation I have build surrounding Morgan Rae Boutique. I know that me being physically present in the boutique sets me apart from other boutique owners. I’m over four years in and still work 50+ hours in the boutique per week. I am a teacher that leads by example with a hands on approach and enjoy working one on one with the customers. That’s what made me fall in love with retail to begin with. More often than not, customers are shocked I’m the owner when I introduce myself but I can’t imagine it any other way. Morgan Rae Boutique is my dream and I can’t live it if I’m not fully involved everyday.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.morganraeboutique.com
• Instagram: @shopmorganrae
• Other: Check out our 200+ 5 star reviews on google!