We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shenal Hooks a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Shenal thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I’ve always enjoyed designing and creating fashion items. I used to have a blog where I would showcase the different pieces of clothing I sewed from scratch or the different costumes I created. After having our son, I found it hard to bring out all my various sewing and crafting kits. Especially during those early years of him pulling up on everything and figuring out how to walk. But I was missing the creative outlet that I would turn to every day.

I can’t really pinpoint the day and time the concept of The Modern Geek Boutique popped into my head. It was like, duh, I should do this!

Once I was fully convinced that I was going to make this dream shop a reality, and honestly, even through the contemplation stages, I was heavily researching how to start a small business, what licenses are needed, how to open a store online, and getting my Etsy store all set up. I reached out to a lot of my friends who are artists, designers, and small business owners for their advice.

In the initial start stages, The Modern Geek Boutique originally started off as a children’s boutique but after getting my feet wet, it quickly transitioned to adult apparel.

Honestly, the key to going from idea to execution is just taking action, any action, big and small. Cutting the big scaring to-do tasks into bit size, taking it one step at a time. I didn’t have it all figured out, and still don’t. I’m constantly learning and trying new things to grow The Modern Geek Boutique and I’ve learned a lot along the way.

Shenal, 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?

The Modern Geek Boutique is where you can find perfect quirky accessories, nerdy geeky gifts, or a new addition to your wardrobe that empowers your inner ‘Geek’. MGB is Inspired by cosplay, comic books, sci-fi, 80’s & 90’s nostalgia, and all things geeky. I take pride and enjoy personally designing all the items featured in the shop. All materials are sourced for top quality. I work out of her smoke-free, pet-free, home office in Phoenix, AZ.

I launched the Modern Geek Boutique in 2017 mainly featuring graphic tees, enamel pins, and stickers. In the last year, MGB has expanded into book bags, hats, sweaters, and swimwear. Overall, the goal of MGB is to provide affordable designs that promote positive self-love for creative weirdos.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Building brand awareness is important for small businesses but can seem like an expensive and overwhelming task. One way that I’ve found works great is getting out and doing pop-up shops and setting up booths at local street fairs and craft markets. Some are free and some cost, but this allows us the opportunity to see in real-time, who our ideal customers are, which items they gravitate to and sell the most, and gets our brand out there to our local community. You are also able to collect emails of those ideal customers to then reach back out to share new item releases, promote upcoming sales, and share event details.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I’ve been working on building my email subscriber list. Although this may seem like the least fancy technique, it’s truly effective and the least expensive. This is the one method that we own, no one can take our list away from us, unlike when we depend on Facebook and Instagram. I use my subscriber list to let them know what is new in the shop. They are the first ones to know when there are sales. They are the ones who I reach out to get their opinion on what they would like to see next in the shop. They matter to me because, without them, MGB would not exist. And I try to convey this to them in each email sent.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://moderngeekboutique.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themoderngeekboutique/
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
Photographer: Rosa Cisneros (Rosa C Photography)