We recently connected with Yanell Rieder and have shared our conversation below.

Yanell, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

This particular customer would come in fairly regular, but wouldn’t really let anyone wait on her. I was determined that she was going to be my new best friend, and guess what, She is. I took the time to visit with her on each visit, asking about family, etc. Little by little she would open up and share some of her life experiences, some being extremely sad and others so much fun. Getting to know her in this way, broke the barrier of trying to sell her something and instead, finding things you knew she would truly love. I now dress her daughter in law and granddaughter, that live in other parts of Texas. Our relationship has spanned over 30 years and she has been a huge blessing in my life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am Yanell Rieder. I’ve lived in Abilene my entire life. I am married to my husband, Gerald. We’ve been married for 29 years. Between us we have four children and ten grandchildren. Even as a young girl I enjoyed working, starting my retail career, working for TG&Y when I was 13. I worked for several “chain stores” and several privately owned stores. I believe the experience I got with the mix of these stores, has greatly contributed to my success.

Opening my Boutique, in 1986, was certainly a dream come true. However, Dreams are not always filled with fun days and nights! To fulfill your dreams, be ready for many weeks without a day off, without a vacation and without a paycheck. There are many sacrifices, in my situation, that it took to become a successful business.

I opened as a shoe boutique. It didn’t take long to figure out that I needed more merchandise to offer my customers, to entice them to come back more often. This proved to be the right road in growing my store. I am very selective in partnering with the brands I’ve added through the years. I look for established lines that have a genuine interest in helping me be successful with there products. It’s a win, win for all of us.
Relationships! That’s the real story of success. Building relationships through the years is the most rewarding part of my career. You build trust when you genuinely care. Learning about their families, grandkids and lifestyles, builds bonds and lasting friendships.

There is an old saying, ” You can’t be everything to everybody”. This is still very true, today, but you can also listen very closely to your customers and the community on what products are missing in your local shopping area. If there are items that fit well in your store, add them as you can. On the other side of that coin, don’t hang on to brands that don’t perform well for you. It’s better to take your loss and look for something new. That goes for old inventory, too. Get it off your floor. your customer will get tired of looking at it.

I still love working and seeking out categories to add to the Casa shopping experience. At this time we have a shoe department, ladies apparel, Kendra Scott department, Mackenzie Childs department, Brighton department, Jan Barboglio department as well as Lagos, Konstantino, Vahan, Julie Vos and Marianna jewelry lines. Labels in our apparel section are Johnny Was, Joseph Ribkoff, Frank Lyman, Nic and Zoe, Ivy Jane, Uncle Frank, Liverpool, John Mark, Elliott Lauren and Lysse’.

If you make a trip out west, set your GPS for Abilene and stop by Casa Authentique, you’ll be glad you did!

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

I think that whether you are in business or not, getting involved in your community is going to Bless you in many ways. My first organization was the Chamber of Commerce as a Redcoat, or Chamber ambassador. I met so many people through the Chamber and also was introduced to all new businesses. The Chamber is a great place for networking and finding new customers. I’ve served on several non-profit boards in Abilene, with Cancer Services Network, being near and dear to my heart. In 2004, my good friend, Suzanne Starr and I started Fashions for the Cure. This is an evening style show event, where all the proceeds go directly to help cancer patients in Abilene and surrounding counties. This last October was our 19th year and to date we have raised over one million dollars!
Getting involved with your community is the best way to build your reputation.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

Through the years, with more discount stores popping up everywhere, it became increasingly hard to dispose of your end of season merchandise. The jobbers were no longer interested in giving you any amount of money for your inventory. I decided there must be a better way, with these thoughts, I opened an Outlet store. At one time it was a separate building, but now is housed in the back part of our Boutique. We sell in season and also receive inventory from other retailers outside Abilene. You can shop in our Outlet and enjoy 50-75% off everyday. So if you’re shopping on a budget, we’ve got you covered.

Contact Info:

• Website: Casaabilene.com
• Instagram: casaauthentique
• Facebook: @casaauthentique

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