We were lucky to catch up with Patti Brock recently and have shared our conversation below.

Patti, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I had been working for two other boutique owners for a total of about 11 years. My Mom was ever the fashionista. She dressed us pretty upscale in our childhood. Additionally, she was a seamstress extraordinaire and therefore was open and able to create the fashion pieces that came into my head.

While working for another boutique, my marriage came to an end and I needed to find full time work, which was not available where I was so, I decided, I think I will venture out on my own. Maybe not the smartest idea as a single mother but I have enough passion for ten people and when I put my mind to something…well, here I am 28 years later. I don’t think there’s much logic in passion. You just educate yourself, always. Each career I had prior to and including retail groomed me to be a wise business woman. I began as a para-legal which gave me the education to read legal documents ie, a lease, My former husband and I had an Arthur Murray franchise in which I was responsible for all of the administrative work, ie taxes, payroll, etc.. As in any business, while people think it’s great to be an owner, and it is, the onus is on us for everything, all of it and it never ends when the day does.

In the first years of course, things were quite lean. Your dollars go right back into inventory, they don’t go to you. I had 2 other jobs for the first 3 years. One I could do at home and the other was nights and weekends. Both very different than my store but both very interesting and fun.

Was I solving a problem? I don’t believe so but what ended up happening was, the store was always and still is, more than just a store. I still have many, many of the same customers I did when I opened ini 1994 and now, their daughters shop in the store. It’s more a community in and of itself. You can imagine the stories, the weddings, the birthdays, the births and the celebrations I have been honored to be included in, while always maintaining a presence in the community as a volunteer and doing other charitable work. I’ve always believed that when you have a platform to reach people, you have a responsibility to do out-reach. Maybe that’s the problem solving part.

What was most exciting was the challenge. A banker once asked me, “What happens if it doesn’t work out?” My response was “It’s going to! How can you do a bad job at something you love?! Because I love it, it will be successful!”

I have always embraced change. I have always been interested in many things. Always willing to face an adventure, an obstacle and learn. I don’t think I realized how exciting it would be until I got further into it and experienced what the store really represents. It still excites me to this day and I love what I do! I feel it’s like playing dress-up only we are adults!

Patti, 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?

Forever the square peg in the round hole, it serves the creative side of me. I started in the retail business once I had my son and wanted to go back to work part-time. Fashion was always a part of my life. I probably played with my Barbie dolls past the time one “should” but most of it was designing clothes for her and making home goods for her house.

We have always taken pride in more of a one-of-a-kind approach to our inventory and deal only with smaller companies and designers who would. not be able to produce for big box or chain stores. We also usually do the size range in a garment and then never repeat it. I believe that is the responsibility of a boutique. It’s more about selected, well edited, small-batch goods. It makes each piece more of an investment. Not disposable. My clients always tell me that they are wearing pieces they bought 20 years ago. True for me as well. We aren’t much for trends. Classic, unique, long-standing style makes more sense for spending and sustainability.

All of the above is what I take pride in. To have clients follow you around for 28 years?! To have new clients find you and become repeat visitors? What could be better than that?!

We recently moved to a larger location and added a coffee bar. We are not a cafe but it’s been a wonderful addition. I mean, who doesn’t love a specialty cup of coffee or a delicious tea while shopping and maybe add some delicious chocolate from our various cookie and chocolate companies! Even the guys have a little corner of the store for a quickly needed staple or a gift from his gal.

Every store sets themselves apart by their compilation of product, the store’s energy and customer service. I hope those things are the reasons that folks keep coming back. You can’t fool people into thinking you like what you do if you don’t. I really like what I do and have had the honor and pleasure to do it for almost 30 years.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My initial story illustrates my resilience. I was a single mother, opening a store, putting our house on the line. I would have done anything to make that store successful!

And, oh yes, the ever present memory of the Pandemic. Suffice to say, when asked…”I have pivoted so much in the last year, I could be a prima ballerina.”

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Customer service is key! That and having interesting and viable product. We aren’t for everyone. We don’t have a clientele that shop at malls. I only buy what I love for the store. Never filler, never trends. My customers know and appreciate this.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: emeraldandpearl_annabelles
• Facebook: annabelle’s couture/emerald & pearl

Image Credits
I took my own.