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

Julie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I started my own boutique because I have a strong belief that all women should be able to feel and look their best. One of the ways I have found I can do this is by carrying women’s clothing sizes S-3XL at an affordable price. I look for pieces that are stylish and trendy, while being comfortable and affordable. I feel it is so important for women to feel confident and proud of how they look. In addition to clothing, There are many instances in which I have witnessed plus size women being frustrated with clothing choices and not being able to find cute, fun styles. Therefore, I have made it my mission to find styles that will flatter all body types.

I have continued my mission in making women feel and look their best by also consulting with SEINT Beauty, which is a customized 3D make up system that is cream based, along with becoming an advisor with Beauty Society, which offers a variety of anti-aging skincare regimens and products for all skin types.

I like to think of my boutique as a one stop resource to a variety of different options that can help women gain self -confidence in many different aspects of their lives.

Julie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was a teacher for 17 years before I decided I needed a change. I started working with a couple of clothing MLM companies and quickly learned a few things about myself. I absolutely LOVED fashion and coordinating outfits, helping women pick styles that made them feel good, and just enjoyed seeing customers’ faces light up when they looked in the mirror. However, I also learned that I did not like the constraints of the MLM and the requirements that came with those companies. The overall vision of these companies began to change as they grew and did not align with mine. After some time, I began to realize I could begin finding my own vendors to supply clothing that I thought was appropriate for different sizes and I could control my prices. Coming from a teacher background, I wanted people to be able to afford cute clothing and not have to spend a fortune on a complete outfit. Hence, The Stylish Owl Boutique was born.
I have built my boutique based on honesty and openness. I enjoy getting customer feedback on current styles and have been known to poll women about possible new styles to carry. It is not uncommon for a customer to send my pictures of items or examples of similar styles they are interested in. I consider it a challenge for me to then search my various vendors and offer some possible options to match what they are looking for.
I absolutely love the excitement I see when customers send me pictures of themselves wearing that new dress or top that they purchased from my boutique. I am so proud that people trust me for fashion, makeup, and skincare advice.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first started The Stylish Owl Boutique, I had a loyal group of women who continued to follow me from my other MLM ventures. I had to figure out how to retain these customers and offer items that would keep their interest. At first, most of my styles were offered as pre-orders. I would select different styles from vendors I had found and pre-sell the items to ensure that I would make a profit. This became difficult to manage because some vendors did not always send items in a timely fashion and even worse, sometimes the orders would get cancelled for whatever reason. I also had to rely on Facebook and vendor events in order to promote my styles and items for sale. I also had a room set up in my house with all of my inventory and that I opened it from time to time to customers to come shop. That became harder as some people chose not to be on Facebook anymore and then with COVID, events started to become obsolete and physical contact decreased.

During COVID, I tried to really focus on social media…Facebook, Instagram, and eventually a website. I also relied heavily on friends and family to be my primary customers. There were many times in which I thought maybe it just wasn’t meant to be and I should probably close up shop. However, I finally caught a break when I met an amazing women at an event I attended. It just so happened that she and her business partner were opening a boutique in a nearby town and she invited me to be the clothing vendor for their new store. I finally had a space to display my inventory and people could shop and try on during store hours. I started to gain a following there and enjoyed great success for some time.

Sales started to decrease some as new clothing boutiques began to open nearby and it was getting harder to sell in that location. Once again, I felt that maybe I was going to have to give up this dream of mine and figure out something else to do. However, when one door closes another opens, and a fellow business owner/friend had been renting a space at The Painted Tree Boutiques in Cary and offered to share some of her space with me. What an opportunity!!! After careful consideration, I jumped at the chance and now have my own unique space for my boutique. I look forward to this exciting new opportunity and the ability to share my styles with more women in the future.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

So once I decided to start a boutique on my own, I had to figure out how I was going to fund it. Enter the support of my family. Starting a new business is a risk, but when you have family, especially your mom, in your corner who truly trust and have faith in you, it means the world and it seems possible. I started looking through different vendors and making a list of items I thought would sell. It took many nights of brainstorming with my mom and second guessing choices I picked, before I finally pulled the trigger. I used a credit card to place the first order and just hoped it would all work out. To my surprise, the items I chose actually sold and customers wanted more. I began getting into a routine of posting pre-orders and then ordering. I ended up with about half of the items I orders sold and half would go on my rack for events. I got into the groove and just started building from there.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thestylishowl.com
• Instagram: @stylishowlboutique
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestylishowlboutique