We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Deb Neulreich. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Deb below.
Deb, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?
I can’t speak for the entire apparel industry, but I can address small boutiques and other mom and pop type stores. The internet, and those who mostly shop from home, do harm the viability of brick and mortar shops. Little shops have overhead, and whether anyone saunters in and purchases our goods on a day-to-day basis, our costs are fixed – rent/mortgage, utilities, insurance, and the like. Shoppers say they want places to shop, but they often opt-out of going to their local independent store and supporting it. At Zing, we often hear: “I went to such and such a place (insert giant big box), and there was no-one to help me” That’s exactly why you want to visit your local boutique or small, family-owned business! You get special attention, and chances are you’ll even chat with an owner. We adore seeing our customers walk through the door. Even if what they want is simply retail therapy, that is, relaxing and looking at beautiful fashions for a few minutes, we’re happy to see that person. Naturally, if assistance is needed for a special occasion or other reason, we’re at the ready. It doesn’t always work out that a particular sale is profitable, but it always is an opportunity to build a relationship. We look at customers like friends; the relationship needs to be built on over time.
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
As a child, fashion captivated me, and I sketched my own collections. I sewed anything and everything as a teenager, and even earned awards for some of that work. I did alterations in college for extra cash. It wasn’t until after I had children that I entered the fashion world as a retailer. What solidified it for me was finding that fashion was the means to helping women; apparel can soothe a certain kind of suffering.
I started with an accessories boutique, and it wasn’t quite satisfying enough – it was actually too easy. So a couple of years later, I opened a clothing boutique, and that’s when I knew I found my calling. When a gorgeous historical building became available, my spouse and I purchased it and combined those two boutiques into what is now “Zing Boutique”. Our goal is to bring in primarily Made-in-America lines, and at the moment we have 10 apparel lines that regularly ship from within the USA. There are also many accessory lines at Zing that are USA-Made and even a shoe line manufactured in Atlanta! Within those lines we purchase very small quantities, so that women within our community don’t see their outfit walking down the street. Depending on the style, we might bring in only two to six pieces in order to ensure that every ensemble is put together in a unique manner.
We have a reputation for helping women who have special situations. They come to us and say, “I’ve heard that you might be able to help me.” That is music to my ears! A typical situation might be a new medical diagnosis; anything from recent surgery to a terminal condition. Sometimes it is finding apparel to cover tubes or other equipment that the client wants concealed. Often it is clothing to accommodate a person who has suffered a stroke or other hardship and can no longer manipulate buttons, zippers, and small findings. We can help and do find clothing that works, often special ordering items to fit that situation. One of our first “wins” was finding just the right ensembles for a client who had been fitted by the court with an alcohol monitoring device. She wanted to attend a family wedding but had told no one in the family about the situation, nor about the device attached to her ankle. We quickly ordered beautiful, long palazzo slacks for all three days of the festivities, in different colors, and confirmed that the pant length hid the device (as did the stockings underneath). Our client was thrilled as the weekend went off without a hitch – no one knew.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
It is all about relationships. Reputation is about treating people with respect. Of course customers must be treated with respect, all of the time. Even when they are rude, they must be treated with kindness. You never know what kind of burden someone is carrying; repay any behavior with kindness and respect. All others we meet everyday deserve that same treatment. My spouse and I have the same values – we’re both sunny-side up kind of people. All individuals we interact with get our very best effort; everyone from the delivery people to banking personnel to window washers. We believe lifting other people up builds our reputation. Of course, making good on promises and going the extra mile for your customer goes without saying. Everyone who works at Zing Boutique must exude the same bright, sincere, customer oriented character and share in our values as well. Our tag line at Zing Boutique is “Port’s Premier Fashion House” and I know without a doubt that we are exactly that.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
There are a couple of situations of which I am quite proud. We’re still standing after Covid, which took down many small businesses. My spouse and I worked very hard to keep the staff busy while we were ordered closed by the governor. We worked alongside the “Zing Gals” to come up with ideas to market Zing Boutique during that time when everyone was buttoned up inside their homes and sales were stagnant.
As well, and this is quite personal: my staff and I have been resilient during the four times in 16 years when I have had spinal surgeries and a knee replacement and the schedule needed to be covered in a far different way than usual. My loyal staff accommodated me and came up with creative strategies for keeping all the hours covered. Zing is open 7 days a week for our customers convenience. I am a bounce-back kind of person anyway, so I never took as much time off as offered, but those co-workers of mine were truly the best movers and shakers in coming up with a great plan for the store.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.zingboutique.com
- Instagram: zingboutique
- Facebook: ZingBoutique
Image Credits
Sauk Road Images, LLC