Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carrie Astin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Carrie, appreciate you joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
I love being a business owner. It’s really fulfilling but it’s also REALLY HARD. Right now, in particular, small businesses are struggling. The combination of the economy, tariffs and political unrest are making people more cautious with their spending. And rightfully so, but that makes things even more difficult for small business owners who are working on slim margins to begin with. That being said, I love knowing my customers. So many of them have become friends and I feel like we’ve shared so much over the years – both the good at the bad. I help people shop for weddings, baby showers and funerals. Shopping is more personal than many people realize. And when done right, you have a connection with your clothing and where it comes from.
Carrie, 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?
I’ve always been a fan of fashion but I didn’t start to work in that world until my twenties and even then, very part-time. My first experience was as a sales associate at Nordstrom. I later worked as an assistant stylist on commercials and in a photo studio for a retail website. My deeper interest in fashion started with the realization that fashion can make you feel. There’s a reason people wear costumes when acting. Because how a person dresses informs how the world sees them – but more importantly, how they feel about themselves. That being said, how you dress every day shouldn’t feel like a costume. Like you’re dressing up as someone else. It should make you feel like the best version of yourself.
When I decided to open Sunne Boutique it was very important to me that we remain sustainably-minded. Fashion is a very wasteful industry so we try and be thoughtful about that. We also try to carry very unique pieces. People have started coming to us for dresses and special pieces. Like a great sweater you can keep for years or a blazer that will last several seasons and go with lots of things already in their wardrobe. We relish the opportunity to share the lives of our customers and help them choose pieces that will make them feel like the best version of themselves for years to come.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I’d long considered the idea of opening my own boutique but I didn’t have a lot of knowledge in this space and I never had the time to learn what I felt I needed to know. Cut to the pandemic when everyone was leaving their jobs I thought, “Well, I’ve got the time now.” So, I researched and figured out how to open and stock a new clothing boutique and by the summer of 2021 I thought the pandemic was winding down so I took the plunge. Of course, the pandemic was NOT winding down and we opened at a very tough time. The pandemic may be behind us now but economic uncertainty continues so I feel like my whole five years in business have been a journey. That being said, we continue to grow so I figure if we can make it through this, we are really going to sail when the world settles down. Crossing my fingers that we see that happen sooner rather than later.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One thing I had to unlearn was the idea that the success of my business is a reflection of my own success as a human being. At first, I thought if every customer through the door didn’t buy anything I was a failure. That’s certainly not the case as we can’t be all things to all people and not everyone is going to connect with our aesthetic. On an even deeper level, it felt like they didn’t like ME if they didn’t buy anything. I’ve learned over time that success in my business has nothing to do with my own worth. This is a hard lesson as a small business owner because you pour your heart and soul into your business. But it can’t be how you measure your worth. Some businesses thrive right away, others take time and still others never get off the ground. There are so many factors that make those outcomes what they are, we have to learn how to separate our sense of self from the success of the business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sunneboutique.com
- Instagram: @sunneboutique
Image Credits
Nicole Hansen Photography