Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Chambers. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jennifer, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Coming up with a name for a business can be extremely challenging. This is how people are going to identify you and your brand! I have always been an owl lover, they symbolize wisdom and good luck. I didn’t want to just be “The Owl” so I was playing around with different words and that is how the Golden Owl came to be! I had a friend who does graphic design come up with my simple owl logo for me.

Jennifer, 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 have always wanted to own my own business in some capacity. I really love clothing and enjoy playing around with different styles. I love how a good outfit can boost your confidence and make you feel amazing and I wanted to bring that to other women! Before jumping in to opening an online women’s boutique I researched. And then I researched some more! In Michigan we are extremely fortunate to have Small Business Development Centers available to us at little to no cost. I attended many free seminars and even worked with a counselor before I went live with my website!
The hardest and most important part of owning and starting a boutique is trying to figure out who your customer is. How old is she? What does she do for work? What does she do for fun? Is she married, have kids, etc? This can be challenging when you first start out as you want to cater to everyone. You will soon find out that not everyone is your customer!

Golden Owl Boutique is a women’s clothing and accessories boutique targeted towards the 30 somethings. Although a lot of women from ages 25-65 really enjoy our clothing as well. We love every day basics that aren’t so basic! It took us a few years to nail down the core vendors that we bring in to our shop to bring our customers the very best in quality and style.

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

When I first launched Golden Owl Boutique it was October 2019. My goal was to have an online shop, but to have pop up shops within the community be my main focus. In February 2020 I attended my first pop up shop with my boutique and I was on top of the world. I was so excited about all of the new people I had met, the new possibilities and all of the future events I was going to be able to attend with Golden Owl Boutique. And then the world shut down. I was working in a restaurant at the time and no longer had a job. I moved back in with my parents temporarily. Since I was no longer able to have in person pop ups, my focus shifted to online. I ramped up my social media presence. I was posting every day, sometimes multiple times a day. I was really active in Instagram stories. People from all over Michigan and the US were finding me and shopping with me online! In a confusing and sad time, there was a glimmer of hope and excitement every time a new order came through on my website!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Starting in spring 2021, pop up shops became my main focus again. We started doing 1-2 a month and now I’m doing 1-2 a week! This is the best way for me to get in front of my customers or potential new customers. They can see and feel the amazing quality of our clothing. We do smaller pop ups with local businesses as well as big market events where they will have 200+ vendors! A lot of times after a market we will see an up tick in new customer orders online! Michigan has so many amazing markets where small businesses are able to sell their items and find new customers. You can find our full pop up schedule on our website as well as our social media pages!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.goldenowlboutique.com
• Instagram: @shopgoldenowl
• Facebook: Golden Owl Boutique

Image Credits
Erin Vivian Photos