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

Phylicia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

In the last few years I had begun to make more money and through my husband’s influence, I began to care about the quality of my clothes. I felt as though, If I am going to spend a lot of money for them, than I want to purchase clothes of great quality. It got to the point I was only shopping from the same three stores and I was left frustrated and felt limited.

Fall 2023 my husband, Matt and I traveled to London. While there we realized the quality of clothes were more superior than what we were purchasing in the States. That choosing quality over quantity all while staying on trend was such a normal thing in Europe. As a result, while abroad we decided it would be a great idea to provide the same service; consistently providing great quality clothing for both men and women all while staying on trend.

The eco-friendly concept kind of fell in our lap, since we were focusing on natural fiber clothing. We discovered that there is a small niche of other retailers and wholesalers with the same vision as us and they fall under the eco-friendly, sustainable conscious, ethically sourced platform. From there, Urban Collection Boutique was born. By January 2024 we had developed our concept, sourced our wholesalers and begun developing the website and applied to be vendors for several upcoming events in anticipation for our March grand opening.

We are thrilled to provide a boutique where a customer can confidently purchase any product from Urban Collection Boutique and not worry about the quality and walkaway feeling as though they spent their money wisely. I can confidently say that since our March 13, 2024 opening; we have received positive feedback about the quality from our customers.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Overall, the retail industry, specifically the boutique world choose me. My husband Matt and I felt like there was a need in the industry as it relates to small businesses. When we did our initial research and browsed other boutiques in our area, we knew we had a unique concept that we were working with. Everyone followed a certain aesthetic; western wear, boho, contemporary clothing, etc. Our customers wont be supporting mass produced wholesalers rather ethically sourced clothing. Instead they will be reading the tags for fun, figuring out if they can guess if its cotton versus bamboo or reading a small story on the garment tag.

Since opening in March, we are so proud of the feedback that we get from our customers. Especially, at events, we have had so many people come by and say, “I can’t stop touching your clothes” or ” I need this, its so cute and soft, and how much is it, I never looked.” Those moments and remarks has made everything we have done thus far, worth it.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Starting a business can seem daunting and it is if I am being honest. It’s a love hate relationship that you find yourself addicted to. So much so, this is my second business. I am a full-time REALTOR® as well. I run both Urban Collection Boutique and I am a real estate agent. With that said, I saved up and invested in our business. During the 2023 holiday season, I first invested in myself by purchasing Master Class and watched Sara Blakely’s masterclass on how she created Spanx and I took a lot of her advice when opening up Urban Collection Boutique.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had to pivot a lot this year so far. With operating two businesses, I can feel like I am losing my mind sometimes which lead me to pivot mentally. I learned that you cannot conquer everything on your own and it will take a village to create a successful business. With that said, hire for the things that you don’t like doing, that are beneficial and you know you won’t spend time on. I am at the point now and have sought out assistance.

I have also had to pivot in my personal life; creating boundaries. When I am home in the evening; that is family time. When I am at work; I have a plan and am fully engaged. Also, my Pilates time is my “me time.” We cannot neglect our needs or we will burnout.

Contact Info:

• Website: urbancollectionboutique.com
• Instagram: @urbancollection_boutique
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/urbancollectionboutique1
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UrbanCollectionBoutique

Image Credits
photography done by IG: @monasarchive