Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Vanderhoof

Hi Carrie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

After spending 17 years as an Environment Engineering with the State of New York, I found myself wanting more from my day to day life. I was unclear as to what I wanted to change, I just knew a change was required to restore my health and my sense of self. The answer did not come overnight, in fact it took months of soul searching and taking the time to ask myself what brought me joy. I dug out old boxes filled with my art supplies, old sketchbooks and notebooks of poetry and spent time reconnecting with how I saw the world before I started a career in engineering.

I was always in awe with the beauty and magic of nature, and I spent a lot of time expressing my passion through art and writing. I knew that I needed to bring back my freedom of expression and my love for art in some format but I was not quite sure how to pivot from the day to day grind of engineering to a world of my own.

During my 17 years as a Professional Engineer, there were limited channels to express my individuality on a daily basis, and my personality was only on display through my sense of fashion and interior decor in my personal space. It was clear that I could not keep a lid on my desire for self expression, and I realized I needed to incorporate the personification of my space into my daily life.

In 2014, I was presented with an opportunity to fashion merchandise on a part time basis for a line of jewelry, clothing, and accessories. I decided to jump in with both feet and see if I was good at retail without going back to school. I felt strongly my credentials as an Engineer with a Master Degree in Engineering Management, set me up with the building blocks, and my natural ability to connect with people would provide the framework to navigate the world of retail.

I made a modest $1,200 investment into my new side business, and started marketing efforts in my small circle of friends and family, setting up in home parties and I was off to the races. My first booked party was a huge success, nearly selling the entire lot of goods purchased with my initial investment, so I decided to double down and re-invest. I was still at my day job, but my nights and weekends my inner light was starting to shine again as a traveling Fashion Merchandiser bringing fun fashion to women in the comforts of their own homes. My calendar started to fill up, and my car was full of totes, display racks and more and I began to sense I had something special with my relaxed approach of connecting with women of all ages and sizes in a safe space. I was creating a world where trends don’t matter, imparting the motto that fashion has no rules, and creating a sense of freedom to express yourself through fashion.

After about 3 months of continued return on investment, I began to idea-book transitioning my life in totes into a brick and mortar storefront where I could expand on my offerings into home decor, art, self care and more. My husband was incredibly supportive of my idea, and we began the hunt for retail space and researching product line that fit our business model. I started my fashion merchandising venture in September 2014, and I opened my storefront on April 2, 2015. Boho Chic Boutique was officially born and we have never looked back.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

The road unfortunately has not always been a smooth one. The biggest lesson I learned was location, location, location. I was so excited to embark on my new world and hang up my Engineering job, I didn’t take as much time as I should have researching locations for a storefront, We decided to invest in the Village we lived in as we were familiar with many of the business owners, and the absence of anything like us in the area. While we opened with great energy and foot traffic, things slowly began to decline after about two years. Some businesses were closing and by the Spring of 2018, we were barely making enough sales to cover rent. We tried to create more and more of a draw by hosting a variety of events at our location including acoustic music events, art shows, pop up vendors, classes and more. Nothing resulted in a slam dunk turn of events for us financially, so we knew we had to make a change before we found ourselves in the red.

I felt strongly we had a successful concept, and we had grown to feature 38 local artisans in our store. Their products were exceptional, but we just could not get people to come into our shop. As our Village started to decline, we didn’t want to go down with the ship, so we made the tough decision to re-locate. We didn’t have time to find a new location before we had to close our door, so we planned a “Moving Upward and Onward” party and spent all our time planning a huge send off and visiting nearby Villages, Towns and Cities to assess the strength of their Small Businesses. We stayed positive we would find a new home, and we had a great teaser to keep folks attention.

We had our goodbye party in March 2018 and we announced our re-opening in Ballston Spa NY for April 2, 2018. We have been in our second location now for over 6 years and we are so glad we trusted our intuition. We have seen nothing but growth at our second location, as the community is very supportive and appreciative of the curated selection products we offer in store.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?

Boho Chic Boutique focuses on carrying products by artists near and far. We have curated a selection of goods from mostly New York State Artisans including soy candles, small reclaimed wooden housewares, jewelry, hand painted wine glasses, pottery, fine art, photography, all natural body care, knitted accessories, tea towels, small furniture, hair accessories and more.

We also focus on carrying lines that pay it forward, donating proceeds to education of underprivileged children or the education of women in India and Africa. We strive to carry mostly USA made items and even we produce items for sale on the floor. Other products featured are homemade soaps, greeting cards, t-shirts, scarves, jewelry wooden housewares and Fair-trade companies.

We strive to carry socially conscious and eco-friendly products to promote sustainable living. It is a one-of-a-kind shopping experience and we are proud to be located at 90 Front Street Ballston Spa!

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?

I was very shy until the age of 4, after that all bets were off. I was very imaginative, adventurous and outgoing. I loved to play outside, and growing up on 6 acres of land we had plenty to explore. I enjoy creating and was drawn to art at young age. I loved to read, dance, sing, and put on plays with my cousin for my family.

I enjoyed school as well, I like most subjects and excelled in Arts, Math and Science. I play multiple sports including softball, soccer, basketball, and volleyball.

I had a wide group of friends from all backgrounds, and built life long friendships in my small town.

Pricing:

• Most Clothing is under $80
• Organic Vegan Self Care Items under $32
• Women’s Accessories $28-$48
• Women’s Jewelry $25-$85
• Gourmet Food Items $4.50 – $20

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bohochicny.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bohochicny
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bohochicny
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/boho-chic-boutique-ballston-spa-2

Image Credits

all taken by myself