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

Natalie, appreciate you joining us today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

An amazing opportunity to open a women’s clothing boutique presented itself in 2017. I had been working for a prior boutique that was in our current space. The owner made a quick decision to move her business to another state and the likely next step was to reinvent the space into a new store. The early days were a lesson in blood, sweat and a few tears. My significant other and I did all the physical build-out for the space……painting, decorating, building dressing rooms etc. We literally had 2 weeks from when the former store closed until the grand opening of Style Niche. In the beginning our staff was just myself and one other.

The last five years have presented challenges. Operating a women’s boutique is like putting together a puzzle. There were endless trips to buying shows throughout the country to find the right mix of clothing for our customer. It was clear immediately that a staff of 2 was not adequate. We spent the first two years relationship building to find the right employee mix. Our staff is comprised of neighborhood women who for the most part have other employment. The first three years were spent ironing out kinks and finding our groove and then covid. Need I say more.

We have had wonderful things that have happened the past 5 years as well that have allowed us to scale up. The community has embraced our presence and allowed us to increase our physical space and our inventory. We have expanded twice. Our staff is now a group of 10. The past three years we have been awarded the “Best Local Boutique” in the south metro area. In 2021 we were selected to be a partner store with Liverpool Denim and in the company of only 80 other boutiques in the country! The key to success has truly been the strong community commitment and loyalty of a seasoned staff.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My background is not education driven but more experience based. i have worked in retail since age 16. Along my work journey i have sold children’s, women’s and men’s clothing and shoes. There was a bit of learning curve in the beginning regarding the business side of the boutique. I surrounded myself with good help and asked a lot of question along the way!

The boutique is service driven and customer geared. We have an online ordering site but our true love is styling our customers in person. In 2019 we implemented a concept called ‘fill your room”. The customer fills out an online profile and we stock their dressing room ahead of time and have a one on one style session. It is a customer favorite! Since our opening we have partnered with many local organizations within the community. We love giving back and hosting events to help these groups financially.

i am most proud of the camaraderie between our staff and the customers in the community. We have provided a space where multi-generations can come to shop. Shopping in our store is like shopping with an old friend!

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

In 2020 covid turned our business upside down. We had to reinvent our website and create an online site. Our physical store was closed for two months. The importance of social media and facebook live events became so evident. Our customers were starved for a physical shopping experience but soon pivoted to online shopping and watching our videos. After the store re-opened we had so many challenges regarding inventory. What did shoppers want to buy? No one was wearing work attire. Lounge wear sales exploded. There was at least 1 year to 18 months of uncertainty regarding inventory but also customer shopping patterns.

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

Relationship building is our most effective strategy for growing our clientele. Our customers shop for the experience and leave feeling confident. The relationships we have developed encourages customers to recommend us to friends and family. Social media has also been an effective tool. We do many ‘live” events throughout the week which motivates customers to shop both online and in person.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stylenicheboutique.com
• Instagram: @stylenicheboutique
• Facebook: @stylenicheboutique
• Yelp: style niche