We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tyler & Jennifer Marchant. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tyler & Jennifer below.

Tyler & Jennifer , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

At the time, I (Tyler, step-daughter) was working at a locally owned retail store that had been in business for 35 years and going to college for Finance. I quickly learned Finance was not my passion, but loved working in fashion. I always knew I wanted to work for myself, but did not know what that would look like exactly.

Jennifer had been with Dillard’s corporate for 16 years and during Covid, came to a time where she was either going to do the same thing for another 16 years or pivot and do something different.

Through backyard conversations by the fire pit, we put our heads together, our mutual love for all things fashion and started brainstorming. We both thought, “Why couldn’t we own our own business and do this ourselves?”. After several notes of chicken scratch on paper, we started to form our business model and how we would set ourselves apart from other existing stores. We noticed a gap for shopping in Oklahoma City, stores were either really young and fast fashion or very specialty, mature clothing. We wanted to create a space where both moms and daughters could shop together and style things their own way, while offering exceptional customer service.

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

At Refinery, you can expect exceptional customer service and unique pieces at a great price point. We want you to feel as if you are walking in to our home, and can always be greeted with a smile. Refinery offers women’s upscale, clothing, accessories, and home/gift. Moms and daughters can shop together, and find pieces they both love.

One of our favorite things about the business is getting to know our clients. We want to create great relationships and trust with clients so they walk in the doors with a need, and walk out feeling great about themselves and their selection of new pieces. Styling is our passion, so we love to assist clients in putting together outfits for any occasion they may have. We pride ourselves in having a hand picked, carefully curated selection that you will not find anywhere else. In a world where online shopping has become the norm, we still believe and have proven that people want a connection with people when shopping.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

We very much underestimated the inventory and hanging fixtures we would need to fill our space to open. Upon going to Market to buy and select our inventory, we ordered what we thought would be enough merchandise. As boxes would arrive, we processed the inventory and knew we would need more if we wanted the store looking full. On top of that, the wall fixtures we ordered did not arrive at the time we wanted them to be able to install and set up the store. Everything took longer to get to us due to the supply chain and it being during Covid. We hopped online and ordered fixtures we knew would get to us quickly and were able to offer more racks for clients to shop. Our wall fixtures arrived one week before opening and were installed days before people were coming in. the doors to shop. We filled the walls and selling floor with the merchandise we had and still ended with an amazing Grand Opening.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

When buying our selection at Market, we make sure to order in small quantities. For example, in a top we will only order 6 units. This allows us to keep our quantities low, but be able to offer a large selection of different pieces. Clients can purchase items knowing they will not be walking around wearing the same thing as everyone else. This is especially nice during holidays or special events going on in town. Clients can come in the door with our selection in mind and know they will not be wearing the same outfit as someone else in family pictures, or the same dress at a special event. This helped build a reputation of trust with our clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.refinerystyle.com
• Instagram: @refinery_okc
• Facebook: Refinery OKC
• Other: Our TikTok is @refinery_okc