We were lucky to catch up with Becky Morris recently and have shared our conversation below.

Becky, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I feel that we started this business at exactly the right time – during Covid lol!!! But seriously, it was good timing because I was at a point in my life where my kids were more than self-sufficient and my daughter was even excited to partner with me on opening the store. Although it was Covid, the timing was actually good because there was more of a ramp-up period rather than hitting the ground running. Examples like – market vendors being a lot more willing to work with new stores, vendors being more open with merchandise being available (since there was a whole previous season they hadn’t really sold) and landlords being more open and flexible too. It just all came together at the right time. Plus being able to draw on my years of experience in the fashion industry was key too. I had always wanted to curate my own collection of all the styles I love wearing and now was my chance – plus my years of experience as a stylist enables me to really use that eye to help my wonderful customers find the perfect outfit and also find their personal style too.
So I don’t think that Lily Claire could have come into existence any earlier than it did and it’s been an amazing journey ever since.

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

I have always loved fashion! And even though I graduated from the University of Texas with a Business degree in Finance and Marketing, fashion has always been my first career choice. So right after college, I started working at Saks Fifth Avenue as a part-time sales associate (my parents were thrilled!!) This led to positions as a Personal Shopper and Assistant Fashion Director and eventually I became the Fashion and Public Relations Director for Saks Galleria Dallas. This fun job allowed me to produce charity fashion shows and work with many designers and celebrities to produce all kinds of events including a fashion show for England’s Prince Edward. I also served as the media and television spokesperson for Saks throughout the metroplex and was able to travel to other Saks stores throughout the country for store openings and events.

As a fashion stylist, I have worked with hundreds of clients providing styling guidance, wardrobe consulting, personal shopping, and closet cleanouts. Modern, boho, vintage – I love and wear it all! I have always wanted to curate my own collection of clothing that I love and can’t wait to share it.
Starting my own boutique was a long-time dream and opening it with my daughter Lily was even better. We love brining our mother-daughter style to our clients and helping them find their perfect style too.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social Media is huge for our business – it’s everything – the way that we connect with new potential customers, share new products, and build our brand. We knew nothing about it really when we started – just that we needed to do it lol. My daughter and I being the only 2 workers in our store just started sharing our merchandise and also a little about our relationship as well. Since she’s 18 – Tik Tok is huge for her so we started making funny Tik Toks about our working relationship and also to share our brand philosophy. This led to our clients really relating to our relationship and putting a family and faces behind the brand which is key since we are a family-owned small business. It’s kind of become our thing now and even though she has left for college we are still continuing to make our Tik Toks and Reels when we can. And I have had to just be confident enough to put myself out there and be in there alone now too lol.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think it’s been really important for our brand to stand out by carrying brands and lines that you don’t see everywhere. I think it makes it more special when you have things that are unique and some one-of-a-kind things as well too. Our clients know they can come in the store for fun graphic tees, vintage one-of-a-kind jackets, or dresses for special occasions. Not being afraid to stand out and going ahead to set ourselves apart and maybe take risks on the merch that we carry has really worked for us and makes us unique in our market.

Contact Info:

• Website: shoplilyclaire.com
• Instagram: lilyclairestyle
• Facebook: Shoplilyclaire