We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ashley Irene Dufresne. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ashley Irene below.

Hi Ashley Irene , thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Growing up as a plus size girl in rural Vermont, I didn’t have any stores that carried cute and fashionable styles in my size. I remember being a teenager and flipping through fashion magazines trying to find anyone that looked like me. Sadly, I never saw anyone represented in the magazines, the media or movies I could relate to. As a result, I started to hide my body out of shame instead of embracing my unique beauty.

Flash forward years later, I finally discovered my love for fashion in college. It all started when I walked into a clothing store after hours and hours of trying to find a dress for an event. My mom asked me to come into one last store and after fighting off tears, I decided to give it a go. As soon as I walked into this store I felt welcomed, I felt seen and I felt beautiful. The sales associates got to know me, and what I was looking for. I felt safe to try on different styles that I usually wouldn’t have been brave enough to try on and ended up leaving with a bright, beautiful dress that made me feel gorgeous.

I remember leaving that store with a huge smile on my face. When I got back in the car with my mom, I remember thinking “I want to make people feel the way I feel right now”.
The manager of that store ended up calling me and offering me a job while I was home from College for the Summer. I ended up working for the exact manager and team that originally helped me find a dress. I worked for them for 2 years, learning, growing, and finally feeling like I found my real passion.

After graduating college, I decided to take a job not in my major but a job that made me happy, and that was in retail. I worked for 5 years starting as a sales associate, operations manager, and then Sales Manager. I learned from incredible women who constantly challenged and encouraged me.

After years of dreaming of starting a business my mom finally looked at me one day and said ‘Ashley, do it’. Immediately I thought of all the things that could go wrong, right? “What if this” “what if that” “what if I fail”.

My whole life up until this moment I have left the phrase “what if I fail” to stop me from trying to achieve so many different things.

I made the decision in that moment to not

That is when Ashley Irene Boutique was started. We’ve grown in two years from a tiny online boutique that I ran out of my spare bedroom to a Brick & Mortar store in Mashpee Commons. I say that Ashley Irene Boutique is a store that I wish I had growing up. All of our models are real people, with all different body shapes and sizes. We carry sizes XS-3X and welcome everyone who walks into our store with a smile and safe place to shop, exactly as you.

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.

We are a size inclusive womens clothing boutique. We sell all different styles ranging from XS-3X. At Ashley Irene Boutique, we understand that all women are more than just different sizes, we are all unique shapes. Clothing silhouettes and styles fit differently for different body shapes. That is why we help our customers find styles that fit and flatter their shape. When you shop at our store, we are happy to help you find different pieces but also explain why styles and cuts fit different shapes. We understand that shopping is not something that is easy and fun for everyone but we want to make the experience as fun, welcoming and safe as possible. Whether you are coming in to browse independently, or want one-on-one help with our team, we greet everyone with a smile and a safe place to shop.

We are most proud of the community of strong, beautiful, supportive and kind women that our customers have created. Our business is so much more than a boutique, it’s empowering each other to feel good in our clothes and celebrate our beauty. I am so proud of all the love our customers give to each other both in store and on social media.

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

We foster brand loyalty a number of different ways. A huge way we connect with our customers is through social media, specifically Instagram! Our customers love to stay in touch with the latest styles, and new arrivals. We post 2-3 times a day on Instagram and upload sometimes 5-10 videos sharing about events, new arrivals, styling tips and more. We even have our customers vote on future styles and ask their feedback on style, fit and our store environment.

Every month we also try to sit down and write personal notes to our customers sharing how much we appreciate them.

We also include a personalized handwritten note in every single online order we send out.

For our customers in store, we host fashion shows, events, and lots of popups with other incredible women owned businesses.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Authenticity.

When you walk through our store doors we are genuinely happy you are here. Our signature phrase is ‘Hello, welcome’. Every person who enters the store will be warmly greeted. We lead with kindness, self acceptance and love and it’s important for us to foster that every chance we get. Our clientele has skyrocketed over this last year thanks to our amazing loyal customers who share our store with their friends. The power of word of mouth and brand loyalty is the reason we were able to grow from an online boutique to a brick and mortar space.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ashleyireneboutique.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyireneboutique/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleyireneboutique
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-dufresne-2976a084/

Image Credits
Lydia Leclair Photography