The owner of Mona Lucero Design is a fashion designer and retailer in the lower Highland neighborhood northwest of downtown
Things have been rolling along here at the boutique. Among the things I’ve done to make sure the boutique remains viable are:
• Developing a “yes, we can” attitude to questions such as “can it be altered? can we restyle one of my older garments?” etc.;
• Emphasizing service over products;
• Becoming more “transparent” in my business, including doing more social networking and updating my websites often;
• Letting people know what makes my store unique, namely that I’m a small-business owner who works with sewers and other designers who are local;
• Adding more gift products and cards for the neighborhood people who need to pick up something quickly;
• Being involved in the community, such as contributing to or working with nonprofits.
This year has actually been parallel to other seasons in the past. The first quarter of the year was somewhat slow, which is normal in a clothing boutique. As spring has progressed, things have begun to pick up.
I believe this will probably still be a difficult year, but there are signs things will bounce back. Recently, I had one of the best days of sales I’ve ever had. It was like Christmas in May!
One of my pet peeves is when people ask me with a sad look in their eyes, “Are you doing OK here?” I once heard a couple walking past the boutique who said, “See, that’s the kind of place that will go out of business if this economy doesn’t get better.”
I am a positive person. Even though I do try to see things in a realistic light, I believe that it’s easy to see things pessimistically. The true challenge as a business owner is to stay the course.
