We were lucky to catch up with Marni Wintermute recently and have shared our conversation below.

Marni, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Being successful is being passionate about your job. I treat my job like a family member. It needs a lot of attention and attention to detail. From the moment I wake up, I’m trying to think of ways to help people see my boutique as offering something different and unique from all the others. The fashion world is a hard place to be successful with all the competition from big online stores doing fast fashion. Us little guys have to be overly creative and that’s truly what I love! I love clothes and love to style them on all body types. I feel my success comes from being able to step outside the box and offering more than just the clothes.

Marni, 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?

Tomboy T’s was originally started by owner Marni Wintermute as a vintage t-shirt shop and has grown into a trend-setting online and traveling boutique for all things Boho and vintage alike. Marni’s unique eye for fashion is reflected in each carefully curated collection. Styles are hand-picked by Marni each week so there is always something new to shop and items sell out fast so if you see something you like, grab it, because it may not be here when you get back!

Originally from south Florida, Marni has grown up in the fashion industry seeing the business first-hand while her mother designed and manufactured children’s clothing. Watching all the detail that went into each style, Marni fell in love with the process and watched as her mother evolved into selling Couture clothing with a store in Palm Beach. Marni loved the glitz and glam of high fashion, playing dress-up and seeing celebrities coming in and out of the store. She was hooked and knew that’s what she wanted to do.

After receiving a degree in fashion merchandising from Johnson and Whales University in Providence, Rhode Island, Marni went back to Palm Beach to follow in her mother’s footsteps. A few years later, she opened her own store called Feathers ‘n Fringe with a concept of that Boho girl meets western girl that grew into a successful business in 6 short years. As life would have it, she was swept off her feet by a Southern California man and decided to make the move across the country to start a new adventure.

Marni launched Tomboy T’s in 2021 as a new concept, but staying true to her roots of a rocker, edgy Boho girl. Her loyal south Florida customer base still shops with her from afar and she’s building an amazing following right here in Southern California.

Follow Marni on Tomboy T’s on Instagram and TikTok to see what’s new and know when Tomboy T’s is popping up at a market near you. You can also shop Tomboy T’s online 24/7 or at our boutique in Oceanside, California by appointment only.

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

3 years ago I put my previous boutique up for sale to be with my heart in California. It was hard a lot harder than I expected. It was like I had sold a piece of my family and had no say in what happened to them. I had a fun small town boutique that was known for its fun boho western style. The store was so cute and it had everything I thought I could have ever dreamed up. When if came timeto sell, and I went back and forth about selling or just having someone run the store while I moved to the west coast. However, I knew if I wasn’t there, it wouldn’t be run the way I wanted, so the best decision was to just sell it. I made a deal to sell the store while still being involved, but unfortunately once the new owner had the keys in hand she didn’t really want my help. She wanted to change the entire store ato reflect her own personal style. I had to sit back and watch the whole empire that I had I built, turn to something I would have never done, but I had to let it go. That was my past, and Tomboy-T’s is my present. I anm eternally grateful for all of the amazing customers and friends I made through that store. They havd always loved my style, and many of them have followed me on my journey to the west coast. If I have one piece of advice to anyone wanting to sell their business, it would be try to sell to someone that loves the braand image and business that you built. Otherwise you need to be prepared that they ar buping a businees, not your personal brand.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

Funding, this is always a great story. This is my second time building capital to start a small business. I take five hundred to a thousand dollars and just keep flipping it. For instance I bought around six hundred dollars worth of product to sell at markets and I would took any profit I had to buy more merchandise. I kept doing this until I had enough money to open a brick and mortar. Owning a small business is very easy to get in debt. I hear all the time from small business owners how much debt they have. I always stay with in budget. So make a budget and stick with it!

Contact Info:

• Website: Tomboyts.com
• Instagram: @tomboy_ts
• Facebook: Facebook.com/tomboyts82
• Other: Tik tok tomboy T’s boutique

Image Credits
@capturing.prana