We recently connected with Chanthina Swinton and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chanthina, thanks for joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

I started my online boutique in 2018. During that time, I was working as a Cosmetologist, Cosmetology Instructor, and as a Massage Therapist. I didn’t have a Facebook until 2012 nor an Instagram until 2016, so in 2018 my social media presence was very low. With social media currently being the front runner of marketing, if I could do it all over again, I would have started a social media presence sooner, establishing a rapport, creating a bigger audience, so that when I did start my business I would have had an easier start. Not only would it be easier and less expensive to market/advertise, but my business would be more well-known and more established today if I took that route.

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

My name is Chanthina Swinton. I am the owner of Dinky’s Kloset, an online women’s boutique. I’m a lover of all things fashion & beauty. Because my friends convinced me into believing that I have some sort of fashion influence, after a birthday trip from Costa Rica, I started the planning of Dinky’s Kloset. I received my business license in April 2018, but didn’t officially open the website until May 2018.

We house and ship all of our merchandise from Charleston, South Carolina. We ship domestically and internationally.

The name Dinky belongs to my one and only brother, who is no longer with us here on earth. Dinky is his nickname. I chose not to use his first name, as it is not unique to him because of him being a Jr.. I always wanted a way to honor his memory and finally created the opportunity for me to do so. Attaching his name to my brand is my way of making sure his name and what he meant to me will never be forgotten.

Because of my brother’s name being attached to my business, I’m very conscious and selective about the items that I sell. Accurate representation of my brand is very important to me, that is why I am the one and only buyer for my company. I strongly believe in providing the highest quality inventory but I also believe in affordability as well. Being a consumer, myself, I understand the importance of a reasonable price point without sacrificing the quality of the merchandise being sold. Here at Dinky’s Kloset, you get both, quality and a great price. If I won’t wear it, I won’t sell it!

Dinky’s Kloset is here to cater to the EVERYday women, doing EVERYthing, EVERYwhere.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been social media. Once you have a following on your platforms, its an easy and more cost effective strategy for marketing. Finding social media groups in your business category that allows free or low cost marketing/advertising is a great help. Collaboration with other businesses that have a strong social media presence have been effective also..

Gaining a following is the hard part, but being consistent is easy. Don’t focus on the number of followers, likes, and comments on your platforms. If you do, you will give up. I currently don’t have a high number of followers nor do I receive a lot of likes and comments. But what I do get is sales. My website analytics shows that most of my customers come from social media but they don’t follow, like, or comment on any of my posting. But they are watching and sometimes purchasing, which is the most important.

Being consistent, posting often, and putting out quality content does pay off, despite the social media numbers not reflecting that.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My business is currently in a pivoting stage. We are in the process of re-branding, which means huge price markdowns for most of our inventory. I can’t really go into any details, because we haven’t reached the final stages of our re-branding. What I can say is that we will still be a fashion brand but our focus will be more specific in a certain category of fashion. There are subtle hints that we have been making on the website and social media pages, but we haven’t made a full announcement about the upcoming changes. However, if you look closely, there are clues…..

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dinkyskloset.com
• Instagram: dinkyskloset
• Facebook: Dinky’s Kloset
• Twitter: dinkyskloset
• Youtube: Chanthina’s Life & Style
• Other: My personal Instagram page: @chanthina.e My NEW travel Instagram page: @tropics_like_its_hot

Image Credits
Photographer: Wilson Swinton III