We recently connected with Delaney Erks and have shared our conversation below.

Delaney , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I always knew I wanted to have and run my own business. I just had no idea what, where, or when this would happen. I love making peoples day better and putting a smile on their face so I knew it had to be a business for the people. I started an Etsy store in 2019 during my senior year of high school. I was an artist and sold my illustrations on various products. This got me in the game of selling, branding, marketing, and all things business. I LOVED that customers actually wanted my products and it pushed me to keep going. I did probably hundreds of local makers markets in Ohio and Georgia. I officially moved to Savannah for college in 2019. I only made it a few quarters before Covid hit and classes went online. I lost all motivation for school and decided to drop out or at least take a break. I had an apartment in the Starland District (right behind where my store is now). I noticed they were redoing this building and I just knew a boutique would be perfect for it. The front windows, the location, and the size were perfect for me. I contacted the owner and was told a restaurant wanted it. I told myself if it was meant to be it would happen. I grew up shopping with my mom, its one of my favorite memories and things to do with her. All the boutiques I had been to rarely carried a size above a large. I never understood this until I grew up and realized the boutiques were in the wrong. It wasn’t my size that was the problem. There was no doubt in my mind that my clothing would be in sizes for everyone. I wanted to create a shopping experience for all bodies and sizes. I wanted my customers to simply feel welcomed no matter what. I got the call right before Christmas in 2020. The restaurants loan fell through and it was mine if I wanted it. I got to work and put together ALL my ideas, plans, and wrote down everything I would need to do this. I had my families support and they helped a ton. My parents own a business so I knew I had some great mentors for when I had questions. They made this possible for me and let me use my tuition money to build my dream. I opened the doors in July of 2021 at just 20 years old. I knew my store would standout with my ideas and there was nearly zero shopping on Bull St. I cater to college kids, tourists, and locals of all ages and sizes. I organized my clothing by hanger color so wood hangers are S-L and white hangers are 1X-3X. All sizes can be found throughout the store so no more secluded plus size sections. The feedback has been amazing so far and I am so grateful to be able to bring cute clothing in all sizes to the city of Savannah! I am now about to hit my 2 year anniversary!

Delaney , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Delaney Rose Erks and I am the creator and owner of Delaney Rose Boutique. I used my first and middle name to come up with the shops name because I knew I was pouring my heart and soul into this business. I remember in pre-school being so excited for art class and always being best friends with all my art teachers. I have been a creative person from the beginning, always designing and making new things. I moved to Savannah and it just felt right. The artist and creative community here is massive and I fit right in. I knew SCAD brought me down to Savannah for a reason whether it was college or something bigger. When I left SCAD I knew I had to start my business here. I was worried that opening a clothing store would ruin my art career. In reality I am designing and creating every single day for my business. It is my main creative outlet and I can do whatever I want with it. I design all the branding, choose all the inventory, run all the social medias, and am able to express myself through these ways. The products I provide are truly a representation of me and I believe in what I put into my store. I absolutely love working with other small business owners and carrying their products as well. I have everything from women’s clothing, bath products, jewelry, CBD products, and more! Once I get a style in, that is all we have until it sells, then new pieces replace them. My inventory is constantly updating and changing. I am always pushing to make Delaney Rose Boutique the best boutique to shop at!

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I launched my website January of 2020 a few months before I opened the doors to my brick and mortar store. I am used to Etsy where they have their own platform and drive customers to your store on their own. Driving traffic to my own website has been my biggest obstacle. Ads are insanely expensive to run and it is just simple HARD to get people to your website naturally. I am constantly improving and updating my website to keep it accurate and engaging. Sales on my website are a tiny percentage compared to my in store sales. One of my business goals is to have a bigger online presence and really grow my social media accounts to help drive that traffic. I am currently on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest @shopdelaneyrose. I also run email marketing campaigns to help push customers to our site. Websites are tricky but well worth it when they are used correctly.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Obviously I did not go to college for this. Youtube was pretty much my saving grace. Youtube did not have a lot of boutique videos, but I found one boutique owner that made super helpful content. I was constantly researching online, reading articles, watching videos, reading books and doing anything I could to learn more about what I was getting myself into. I wanted my business to have the best shot at succeeding. The information you need is out there, you just have to do some digging. And that’s exactly what I did. I read books on boutiques and how to organize your money. I took all this information I researched and implemented it into my life and career. The learning never stops. I still use YouTube and now even TikTok is a great resource for information. The moment you stop learning and trying to grow is when your business will fail.

Contact Info:

• Website: delaneyroseboutique.com
• Instagram: shopdelaneyrose
• Facebook: Delaney Rose Boutique
• Other: TikTok: shopdelaneyrose