Boutique Chat

Ang Castelli is another boutique owner celebrating a 10th anniversary this year. She’s also a longtime Hub member and her boutique is unlike any other at The Hub — it caters exclusively to boys and boy moms! When pregnant with her first son back in 2010 and trying to prep his closet, Ang thought, “Why are there no clothes for little boys and why are the children’s clothing stores so dominated by girl's apparel?” Three years and two sons later, she’d become an expert on boy brands and shopping online, so in 2013, she’d founded Roman & Leo, an all-boys clothing store named after her sons. Ang says boys apparel can be a tough market, but it’s her passion as a boy mom (she now has three!) and she’s learned to lean into her niche, rely on her community, make the most of media and utilize data to continually adapt her strategies and scale the business. We chat about the lessons she’s learned throughout the last decade, marketing and events, social media, inventory management and collection planning, as well as

You’re most likely familiar with CommentSold, but you may not know what the platform’s been up to lately with new CEO + tech executive and investor Gautam Goswami at the wheel. And it’s A LOT. Gautam (GG) talks about the transformational changes he’s implemented since joining the executive team, as well as what’s coming up next at CommentSold — including a new multi-source that provides a deeper level of creativity and interaction, advanced e-commerce websites with automated video content, a massive drop ship catalog with significant margins, and a user-friendly interface and tools.  If you love live selling and want to take it to the next level, or if you're a new boutique owner interested in getting started, this is one you won’t want to miss!    Resources:  CommentSold: Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Pinterest The Boutique Hub:  Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube Ashley Alderson: Instagram Boutique Summit 2024 Hubventory.com The Boutique Hub Member

I’m joined for another edition of our special 10 Year Anniversary Series by Megan Randig, the co-owner of Mezoozah Boutique and an early adopter of The Boutique Hub! Since buying the business with her mom 10 years ago, Megan has expanded Mezoozah from a home and gift brand to a comprehensive boutique — selling everything from décor and gifts to apparel and accessories to kids, both in-store and online.  She joins the show to talk about analyzing your business and making the big changes necessary to take it to the next level, as well as share her thoughts on buying strategy, collections, digital marketing and creating life balance (which boils down to have processes in place and a team that you trust).  TAKE NOTE: It’s Holiday Week on Hubventory! Be sure to check out the special deals and discounts on holiday inventory, available this week only on Hubventory.com.    Resources:  Mezoozah: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest The Boutique Hub:  Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Tik

This week I want to talk not only about fourth quarter goals and planning but also our fourth annual Pink Friday! Pink Friday is a day in November to celebrate small businesses — what it means to be a small business owner, shopping small first, and community over competition. Since founding Pink Friday, we’ve seen small businesses around the world recognize this special day. Last year 38 boutiques in New Orleans alone teamed up to participate. So, today I am sharing everything you need to know about Pink Friday, how to get involved and where to find more information. I want to encourage you to participate and share your story, as well as team up with other small business owners in your community and make the most of Pink Friday. Check the link in our show notes for everything you need to know and be sure to join the email list for tools including a full media kit with press release templates, marketing materials, tip sheets and event planning checklists. I’m also including a link for our Holiday Marketing Mas

Are you curious about what it takes to build a "mega boutique"? In today's episode, I’m excited to bring you a conversation with Leslie Hall, the founder of The ZigZag Stripe. Leslie's brand is a shining example of the term "mega boutique," a concept that's been buzzing in our industry for some time, and this is one business story that I have loved to watch over the years. Listen as we dive deep into the intricacies of Leslie's business model, discuss the powerful brand recognition she's fostered, and explore how she's skillfully utilized a recognizable model to become the face of The ZigZag Stripe. We also take a look at the tight-knit community that Leslie has built around her brand, the efficiencies she lived and died by, and how she managed inventory during a big move. Learn More About the Boutique Hub Here: https://theboutiquehub.com/join/boutique/   Resources: Leslie Hall: Website | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | TikTok The Boutique Hub:  Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

Are you ready to learn from a boutique owner who has navigated the evolution of her business with grace and tenacity? Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Lindsay Heyneman, the founder and owner of Lettie Boutique. As part of our 10-year anniversary series, Lindsay brings her wealth of experience and genuine positivity to the podcast, offering amazing insights for both new and seasoned boutique owners. Listen in as Lindsay shares her journey of building a thriving online community, including orchestrating a memorable Disneyland meetup for her customers. She also opens up about the challenges of managing a successful online business and warehouse while relocating across the country for her husband's education, and her experience establishing her first brick-and-mortar store. Lindsay's resilience, adaptability, and warmth shine through in this episode, and I'm excited for you to meet her! Learn More About the Boutique Hub Here: https://theboutiquehub.com/join/boutique/ Resources: Lindsay Heyneman: Website |

Get ready for an important conversation that no apparel boutique owner who carries extended and plus sizes will want to miss. Our guest today is Jessica Throneburg, the founder and COO of Little Details Boutique. Not only is she a long-time friend of mine, but she's also a valued member of The Boutique Hub community, and she joins the show today to share the highs and lows of building a fully size-inclusive boutique. Get comfortable and listen in as Jessica shares her approach to handling challenges and stumbling blocks with a determination to find solutions rather than vent, as well as how she overcame the highs and lows of building a size-inclusive business. You'll hear about how she makes customers feel welcome in her boutique, a critical issue plaguing the industry today, and what it takes to successfully manufacture apparel for all body shapes and sizes. Learn More About the Boutique Hub Here: https://theboutiquehub.com/join/boutique/ Resources: Jessica Throneburg: Website | Facebook | Instagram

Today I'm kicking off The Boutique Hub's 10th Anniversary Series! We at The Hub are celebrating our 10th anniversary all month long and as part of the celebrations, I’m bringing you a very special 10-episode series on the podcast featuring boutique owners who’ve also been in business now for 10 years. These industry veterans are joining me for the 10th Anniversary Series to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of retail. They share their success stories, the hurdles they’ve faced, and offer tips, practices and advice that you can apply to your own businesses. So, to kick off the series, I'm solo this week to share The Boutique Hub’s story and the 10 biggest lessons I’ve learned throughout our 10 years in business. Hopefully you’ll find some helpful takeaways from our big wins as well as the honest mistakes I’ve made along the way! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being a part of this community and being a part of these last 10 years. To show you how grateful we are, The Hub is doing a HUGE ANNI

We have a very special episode for you this holiday week! We’ve rounded up five of our top moments and lessons learned so far in Season 5.  Enjoy these highlights from some of our favorite episodes of 2023 and join us next week when we are launching The Boutique Hub 10th Anniversary Series, celebrating The Hub’s anniversary and spotlighting guests with 10+ years in the boutique business.  Hear from Anthony and Amy Ekren of Inherit Clothing Co. about their successful e-commerce business, working together as husband and wife, and strategies for managing a happy and effective team. CLICK HERE FOR FULL EPISODE WITH ANTHONY AND AMY Michiko Seto, founder of Blooming Boutique, talks about franchising and building her brand into an empire, the discipline it takes to operate as a cash-based business, and the importance of creating an experience for your customers through events. CLICK HERE FOR FULL EPISODE WITH MICHIKO  One of our 2023 Summit keynote speakers, Jane Kasper Cochrane takes me through the dos and d

Everyone has what we like to call J Months, months of the year that are slower than others. Whether or not yours are the traditional J Months — January, June and July — we all know what it’s like to struggle through slow seasons. But there’s still opportunity there. We just have to change how we chase business and operate through the slow months for our businesses to sustain and thrive. So, I’m recording solo today to offer you a few tips for making the most of the J Months. Takeaways from this episode: Give yourself permission work on your business instead of in your business and also take a step away for mental clarity, focus on building relationships as opposed to chasing dollars and double down on engaging content, and merchandise to turn wants into needs.   Resources:  The Boutique Hub:  Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube Ashley Alderson: Instagram Boutique Hub Black Retail Bootcamp The Boutique Hub Membership Hubventory.com

My guest this week is someone I admire as a businesswoman and big thinker, who not only continues to grow her boutique business in Nashville but has also launched her own wholesale brand. Marla Skipper is the founder and owner of SVM  Boutique and Nash Grey Wholesale, and today she’s joining me on the podcast to share all of the lessons she’s learned throughout the last decade. We talk strategies for attracting and retaining both local customers and tourists, brand events and pop-ups, digital marketing, choosing the right location for your store and negotiating leases. We also discuss how Marla’s wholesale line Nash Grey came to be. When it comes to launching a wholesale brand, she advocates starting small, building strong relationships with your manufacturers and relying on customer feedback. I’ve gotten to know Marla as a member of the Mastermind program at The Boutique Hub and, having been able to watch her business grow and evolve, I’m so excited to see SVM Boutique celebrate its 10th anniversary this yea

If you've been around for a while, you no doubt remember when the separation between apparel boutiques and home and gift boutiques was much wider than it is now. Since the pandemic, we have been on a fast track to see a lot more crossover between these two boutique segments. In this episode, I'm excited to dive into this growing trend with Angela Schmook, VP of Sales and Marketing at Road Runners LLC, a company that supports numerous wholesale brands in every category from home decor to jewelry collections and gifts of all types.  Listen in as we delve into what apparel and home and gift boutiques can learn from each other, the common misconceptions between home and gift and apparel, and the different business practices that work for each. Angela also shares her advice for retailers, current industry trends, and her insights on where she sees the overall industry heading. We also talk about the upcoming home and gift show at Dallas Market Center, where you can find Angela next week! Learn More About the Bouti

Calling all brand new business owners! This week’s episode is just for you. Pam Colon is the owner and founder of Muted Closet, and we’re diving into the lessons she has learned being in the thick of new business ownership in just the first year. Get comfortable and listen in as we dive deep into what it has been like for Pam starting her business, how she has grown it organically through word of mouth and popup events, and how she leveraged collaborations with other brands. We also talk about how she balances being a full-time teacher with running her boutique and how she is planning to celebrate her very first year in business in only a few short weeks. Learn More About the Boutique Hub Here: https://theboutiquehub.com/join/boutique/ Resources: Pam Colon: Website | Instagram | Facebook Hubventory Home and Gift Week

Are you racing towards the ‘next big thing’ or finding genuine joy in your journey? Sara Durcholz is the founder and visionary behind JO+CO, and she has an amazing story, from starting her business to expanding to multiple storefronts—and realizing the need for a completely different direction in her life and making the leap to find true fulfillment. Get comfortable and listen in as Sara shares candidly about her initial venture into the boutique business, diving into the ups and downs of her early days as an entrepreneur. You'll hear why she chose the path of franchising her business, how she learned to balance her ambition with personal fulfillment, the mistakes she made along the way, and how she made the shift to make herself truly happy. Learn More About the Boutique Hub Here: https://theboutiquehub.com/join/boutique/ Resources: Jo+Co: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Pinterest | TikTok Bossish Podcast with Sara Durcholz The Boutique Hub: Facebook | Instagram | Website Ashley Alderson: Insta

This is such a special episode with such a special person — Sydney Petersen, founder of Bizzy’s Boutique, Bizzy Izzy’s Wholesale and the Love Izzy Project.  Sydney truly inspires me, not only as a business owner but also as someone who spreads joy and hope to others. Get ready to have your heart strings pulled (especially all you mommas)! Sydney named her business after her daughter Isabelle (Izzy) who was born with a rare genetic disorder and, as a result, had a prolonged stay in the NICU. Fortunately from Sydney’s traumatic experience came a beautiful baby girl, a new community of NICU moms and an inspired business idea. It all started with the Love Izzy Project. Sydney began designing swaddle blankets as a way to give back to other NICU moms and their babies. For every Love Izzy swaddle blanket sold, a swaddle is donated to the Blank Children's NICU. Her Bizzy-ness grew from there, and now Sydney specializes in all things children’s as a boutique owner and the designer of the Bizzy Izzy's kids line. We

It’s Kids Week on Hubventory.com! And to celebrate, today I’m talking Children’s with Valerie and Ryan Becker, owners and founders of Wellington Design Co., who recently made the transition from retail to wholesale launching a kids clothing line of Valerie’s original designs. It all started with wanting to incorporate her own designs into her online children’s boutique. But Valerie's clothing sold so well in her store and on Facebook that in 2020 she went all in on Wellington. Her husband Ryan got on board to help run the wholesale business, and the brand has been growing strong ever since! I talk to Valerie and Ryan about what it takes to successfully launch a clothing line, the struggles and benefits of working with your spouse, balancing professional and personal goals, metrics, evaluation and putting the right processes in place for consistency and growth. The Beckers are big on processes, planning and delegation — which is why EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) has been vital to their new business. I

This week I answer all of your burning questions! You submitted questions, and I do my best to address them all. This episode is overflowing with information, tips and tricks, so be sure to take notes! I talk about how to handle damaged product and establishing your return policy, implementing creative promotions, how to break into wholesale, growing your business beyond your hometown, rebuilding your foundation, looking at competitors as allies and so much more. Photography, inventory planning, press coverage, insurance — I cover it all in this installment of Ask Ashley Anything! Have more questions for me? Hopefully I have answers! Reach out to The Boutique Hub team or to me personally on social media. I would love to hear from you.  To close out the show, I also share exciting news about Boutique Hub Black, a program to help retailers crush their sales goals – especially if they lack time, aren't fully staffed or are uncertain about their growth strategy. As a Boutique Hub Black member, you’ll gain ac

I hope you have a notebook ready for this episode. I have so much information to share with you this week, as well as some dates to mark on your calendars! After a crazy busy week, I am home from Nashville Market and want to share what I took away from the trip. While in Nashville, The Boutique Hub team hosted our biannual event for our Mastermind members. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Mastermind is a program for our highest earning and experienced boutique owners, all of whom have been in the game a while, and twice a year they come together with our team to roundtable and learn from each other’s experiences. Man did we learn a lot! We talked successes, struggles, solutions, we laughed, we cried … we covered it all. I hope these themes resonate with you and would love to hear your feedback. Drop a note in the comments, reach out to The Boutique Hub team on social media or to me personally on Instagram. We want to hear from you! Coming up next week, a special Ask Ashley episode! If you have questions,

Kristyn DeBord Durbin paved her way in the family business as a sales representative and designer for Double J Saddlery — a collection of tack, saddles, bags and other leathergoods handmade in Texas. Now as a new mom of two young girls, Kristyn has gone from wholesale to retail, stepping back from the saddlery company to found June’s Pearls, an online boutique of children’s clothing, toys, and gifts. She joins the show today to share her story, her history, and the lessons she has learned along the way. Listen in as Kristyn shares how Double J Saddlery has evolved since it was founded in 1991 and how she has played a pivotal role in driving the fashion side of the business with the curation of the Vestige by Double J jewelry line. We also discuss how Double J has built a brand that has stood the test of time and become a staple in the Western industry, and what non-Western brands can learn from their Western counterparts. We get into so much in this episode, so get comfortable and get ready to be inspired! Le

Are you looking for inspiration to build your own personal brand and business? Emily McCarthy is a successful entrepreneur who has built an impressive personal brand through her designs in print and apparel. She has a successful eCommerce and brick-and-mortar business combining home, gift, lifestyle, and apparel products, and on top of that, she is also a busy mom! A true inspiration, she joins the show today to share how she balances it all. Listen in as Emily opens up about the lessons she has learned through her entrepreneurial journey and gives advice on starting an online and brick-and-mortar business. You'll hear how she has made both successful, what's going on with the wholesale side of her business, and her tips to get it right from the beginning.  Learn More About the Boutique Hub Here: https://theboutiquehub.com/join/boutique/ Resources: Emily McCarthy: Website | Facebook | Vimeo | Pinterest | Instagram