We recently connected with Rachel Sanchez and Justin Sokol and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel and Justin, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

It’s always been a dream of ours to own a boutique in a fun and vibrant community. We absolutely love the experience of finding unique items that are curated. And most of all we have always wanted to own a business where clients feel special, valued, confident, and happy.

Rachel grew up working in her family owned business where she now serves as CEO and runs one of the largest woman-owned, family-owned, custodial and facilities maintenance companies in the nation . She learned so much about business from that experience and knew she could take that knowledge to execute on fulfilling her dream to open a boutique.

Around 4 years ago, Rachel was shopping in Bishop Arts and ventured into a cute store with great items. But most of all, she had a connection with Justin
who was working at the store. He was positive, engaging, and super fun to shop with. He was able to expertly select clothing items that made her feel confident. It was a memorable shopping experience and so much so that she made sure to visit Justin for future shopping excursions to Bishop Arts.

On May 1, 2021 Rachel was in Bishop Arts for a girls day out and told her friends that they had to go see Justin and shop with him. While Rachel was there
and catching up with Justin she mentioned to him her dream of opening a boutique. Turns out they had a mutual dream, and he wanted the same. Rachel told him, “I know exactly where I want it to be…the historic McKinney, TX square”. Justin had never been to McKinney, but told her he had heard great things about it. They decided to set up a day in June to meet out there so Rachel could show him around and he could see the overall vibe.

In the mean time Rachel reached out to her realtor, Colleen to start looking for spaces that were available. Neither Justin or Rachel had a clue how much
rent was going for. Rachel told her that they envisioned something small and old. On that day in June when Justin and Rachel met out there Justin instantly fell in love with the downtown square and understood why Rachel wanted the boutique there.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and a space became available…a whopping 175 square feet in a 105 year old building with the nicest building owner you could ask for. Rachel went and looked at the space, face timed Justin and they both saw the potential in the space. But they were both scared to take the leap. So they talked and decided this dream would need to simmer for a bit.

It continued to be on Rachel’s heart and she couldn’t get the quaint tiny little space out of her head. So she contacted Justin and told him what was on her
mind. He thought about it some more and decided it was time to execute on his dream as well.

Rachel and Justin moved forward with getting the spot secured, and then the fun began!! Justin was living in Dallas at the time and decided if he was going
to do this he was all in and wanted to live close to the boutique. He moved from Dallas to the McKinney square (walking distance to the store).

Even though Rachel had years of experience operating a business she had no idea how to run a retail store so the duo started doing research of everything
they needed to open the doors…..the best POS systems, websites., merchandise, fixtures etc.

Looking back they are both absolutely amazed at how they accomplished to open the boutique in just a couple of months. With sheer determination and their
dream at the forefront they made it happen and had their Grand Opening on October 16th, 2021.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Rachel

My parents started a commercial cleaning company in 1976…ironically in McKinney, TX. I grew up with my parents taking me alongside them to the jobs when I was just a baby. But as soon as I was old enough to push a broom, that’s what I was doing! The funny thing is when the company started they actually had quite a few accounts on the McKinney Square. The first time I took my mom to our boutique space, she looked across the street and said, “Me and your dad used to wash those windows.” That was a sign to me that our space was meant to be.

As I got older, I continued to work in the business and held various roles. Having a front-row seat to watch my parents start a business, grow and scale it
while delivering outstanding service to their clients gave me a unique understanding of what it takes to be successful in business.

I always wanted to start my own business utilizing something I have a passion for. I absolutely LOVE fashion. They say that clothes make the man, but I say
the right wardrobe can do more than just make a woman. I want people to feel more confident in their own skin. And, like it or not, people are judged by the clothes they wear, much like a book is judged by its cover. I truly believe that the right wardrobe pieces and accessories can help bring your best self to the world each day. My partner, Justin, is a master at helping people find those pieces. Every time I shop with him and wear things he recommends for me, I feel better about myself.

That is exactly what I want for every one of our clients!!

Justin

Justin has worked in various industries and ironically owned a residential cleaning company in California. Yes, we are both clean freaks! He worked in hospitality, a florist shop, and then the boutique industry. When he started working at a boutique in the Dallas Bishop Arts area, he had no experience in the fashion industry, but quickly realized how much he loved it.

He found that he has a driving passion to help people feel good about themselves by choosing the right ensemble to wear. Not only did he discover a knack
for that, but he also has an amazing eye for coordinating and teaching people how to use wardrobe pieces in multiple ways. Dressed up, dressed down for a casual look, or anything in between, he can create any look the customer desires. By taking what someone already has in their closet, and adding a few new staple pieces, he can give them everything they need to boost their confidence and help them put their best foot forward.

One of the things that makes Marie Gregory unique is the personalized styling services that Justin provides. We have various options that include in-home
styling, virtual styling, and in-boutique styling.

The in-home styling is the most comprehensive and helps our clients level up their fashion game. It includes a 3-hour consultation and closet editing session followed by a 2-hour session. What is most important for both Justin and me, is that our clients’ wardrobes work for them daily…not just a special event here and there.

Another unique aspect of our boutique is the personalized custom accessories such as handbags, jackets, and belts that we offer. We partner with true artists
that make our client’s vision for a unique clothing item or accessory a reality. Whatever you could possibly dream up that you want on a handbag we can make it happen. It’s so fun to work with clients on these custom pieces and know that it’s uniquely theirs.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth is the best advertisement any business can have. Our existing clients, happy with our products and services, help spread the word for us. There is nothing better than a personal referral. And when someone walks into the boutique and says “my friend told me I had to come in and check out this awesome new boutique” it makes us leap for joy. There is no better compliment than that.

Because the historic square has so many homes and apartments within walking distance building a clientele from the local community is paramount for us. Those clients are already part of the neighborhood and inherently like to support the local businesses in the square.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Both Justin and I are incredibly blessed to have an amazing network of friends and family who have been supportive of our dream to open the boutique. Before we had our Grand Opening we hosted a sneak peek event with our closest friends and family. We felt so embraced and supported. Our friends and family have helped get the word out about the boutique through referring clients and sharing our social media posts.
They are the best!!

But clearly, it’s important to us that we GROW our client base. Being on the downtown square is a great location. It brings lots of foot traffic…not only
McKinney and nearby residents but also tourists who are visiting. Because our store is a bit of a hidden treasure we have consistently and actively shared our gem on social media. When someone walks in and they say they saw us on social media we do a little happy dance….it must be working!!

We enjoy many things about McKinney but one of the things we love most is how embracing the community has been. We immediately became members of the McKinney Chamber of Commerce and began regularly attending meetings. We have met so many awesome people through this network. Many have become clients and referred clients to us.

McKinney has a lot going on at any given time, so we have also dove right in and began participating in the various festivals they have…wine walks, beer walks, etc. It’s always fun to see how many people come out to experience the downtown area. It just naturally brings good people that value local businesses.

We recently began to do pop-up events as well. It’s been a good way for us to expand our reach and get our brand out to people who don’t know about us.

Contact Info:

• Website: mariegregory.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marie_gregory_209/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarieGregory209