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

Alright, Angie 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?

My business partner had the idea of a shopping tour back in 2019 that included transportation. I knew right away I wanted to focus on the local boutiques that not everyone knows, as well as a couple that are celebrity owned & well known. On top of that, the type and feel of the transportation was extremely important; and I wasn’t going to launch until it was right.

I started my research in late 2019. This entailed listing out and visiting all the stores in the Nashville & surrounding areas (which was SO much more than I expected) to better understand styles and pricing; walking and driving each neighborhood to map out stores and time spent walking the neighborhood as well as driving between neighborhoods; narrowing down how the partnerships would work; then deciding on the best type of vehicle.

I narrowed my potential Featured Partners down based on their reputation locally, their style for my demographic, their price points and location. I was then able to establish partnerships with 7 boutiques going into 2020.

As you would assume, we were only able to get as far as March 2020 before everything shut down due to COVID. Though this clearly delayed us getting up and running, it also gave us more time to search for a vehicle that was the right fit rather than just taking what we could get to get the ball rolling.

Deciding what type of vehicle was very strategic. Getting in and out had to be easy. It had to be big enough for groups over 10 people, but not too big that navigating in and out of the neighborhoods would be tough. We also didn’t want to deal with drivers having to have a CDL. It had to be comfortable and give the feeling of spoiling oneself, with or without shopping involved. It is very important to me that if we have guests that don’t necessarily like shopping, they still feel their money is well spent with being in the bus.

We decided on a shuttle style bus and worked with an outfitter to custom build-out the bus in the fall of 2020. Going through the build-out process, I thought about what I would want for myself if I were the guest. Not only did it have to be easy to get in and out, but it also had to look and feel great. We customized the interior to include limo style seating vs. shuttle style seating, lots of storage, a built-in cooler, laminate wood flooring, nice shiplap ceiling and accent walls, a custom stereo, custom lighting, and a built-in TV to showcase all of my partners & other fun images. To bring everything together, I added a runner rug, 2 tables including cup holders and space to set out food; throw pillows for comfort; and a “You Fancy!” pink neon sign for a photo op.

We officially launched tours in September of 2021!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been in the tourism industry in Nashville for over 10 years with my husband Brian Gleason and friend/business partner Pete Kootsikas. Bevē Boutiques is one of 4 experience businesses we have built over the years along side employees who have become friends and business partners.

Bevē Boutiques solved the problem groups of females were running into with transporting larger groups around shopping, having to take Ubers to different neighborhoods, as well as dealing with parking. Not only do we just drive people to and from neighborhoods, we also provide a hostess that escorts the groups in and out of the stores, customizes the tours based on their styles and budgets, and assists them in any other needs such as styling, taking pictures, etc.

I’m most proud of the relationships that have been built out of Bevē Boutiques. Getting to know the owners, managers & staff of all of my partners has become a big part of my life. They have become friends and we love to support each other. I will ALWAYS support someone else’s business before I ask them to support mine.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I love this story! The founder of Bevē Boutiques is my very good friend, Pete Kootsikas. Pete & I go way back to the halls of Rosemount Middle School in Rosemount, Minnesota. We have known each other since we were 12 years old. Our relationship developed because of my love for Michael Jordan. He would bring me newspaper clippings, magazine articles or anything he came across that had MJ on it. We were both basketball players so our love of the game brought us together. We stayed great friends all through high school and continued to keep in touch in college.

In 2011, I went to Pete’s wedding and sat at the table with another friend we grew up with, his wife, and Pete’s business partner (and wife), in a tour business in Nashville. Our other buddy was living in Nashville at the time running the tours for the business. We got to talking and they were telling me about Nashville and what they were doing. I have always loved Nashville and thought I would end up here someday. (I thought I would go into PR in the music business over the tour business but here I am!)

A couple months down the road, I saw their business was hiring. I inquired as to what they were looking for so Pete and I went over the details. They had interviews set up already in Nashville that didn’t end up working out so Pete came back to Minnesota and offered me the position to manage the business if I was up for it.

In the spring of 2012, my husband and I moved down to Nashville and took on managing the business. Now here we are over 10 years down the road, owning and operating 4 businesses together, vacationing with our families together, celebrating employees together and always continuing the conversation of what’s our next business idea….

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

CARE ABOUT YOUR PEOPLE! Since Day 1 of running businesses in Nashville, our people and the lives they have outside of the business come first. Family comes first. Passions and goals come first. A lot of times, we schedule business operations around the lives of our people. We close down for weeks over Christmas and New Years so everyone has the same opportunity to be with friends and family. If they want to work, we will open opportunities for them to do so. If they don’t want to, they don’t have to. The business will be there when we come back.

We love watching people thrive and put time and energy into what and who they want to be outside of our businesses. We want them going out into the world and building something for themselves and their family. We support them while they are with us and we continue to support them if and when they leave.

We are big believers in not micromanaging. If someone needs a manager hanging over their shoulder or in their face 24/7, they need to go elsewhere to find it. We respect and trust everyone to be adults. I’m a huge believer in trusting everyone unless they give you a reason not to. Even then, treat each other with respect and move on.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beveboutiques.com
• Instagram: @beveboutiques
• Facebook: @beveboutiques
• Linkedin: Angie Gleason

Image Credits
Leo & Laine Ryan Root Photography